"Ochako, why do you want to become a hero?" Izuku asked, looking her in the eyes.

"Hm?" Ochako couldn't process the question, too distracted by the way he stared at her.

As if searching for something, he continued to stare intently. As if he were lost in something deep and interesting. Yes, she caught him staring that same way earlier today when daybreak brushed through and they headed back to the dorms. He'd been talking to Shinso and Iida, but once the chance opened, she caught him from the corner of her eye.

"How did you decide that being a pro-hero was the job for you?" Izuku asked.

He broke eye-content and settled his focus on his fingers clasped together. He made different shapes with them, but moved his attention on the folded shirt, tugging on the collars under the layers of material.

Ochako blinked, contemplating whether or not to tell him. The story was a sensitive and private one in her heart. But, he'd gone beyond the walls, so she felt obliged to tell him.

No, that wasn't it. Somehow, she didn't mind telling him and couldn't imagine him gossiping about her personal life.

"Well, um, this might sound really materialistic, but pro-heroes are the second most high paying job out there," she said and glanced at Izuku.

He had paused his fiddling, which told her what he was thinking. A common thing anyone would accuse her of.

"So," he said, "you want to be a hero, for the money?"

Uraraka chuckled and nodded. "I do."

She had another opportunity to see his innocent eyes again, but they narrowed when his eyebrows knitted. She recognized that judgement under his confusion.

"I know," she said, "When I told my old friends, they always asked me questions like 'you just want to become a hero for money' or they'd doubt me and say 'do you know how hard that is and you're not even passionate like others'. Stuff like that and technically they had a point."

"Tha-- honestly." Izuku sighed, scratching the nape of his neck. "What did you say to them?"

"I couldn't say a thing. I just laughed it off." Uraraka gripped onto her pants, "Even though I was close to all of them back then, I couldn't open my mouth. 'I want to make my parents life easier,' I wanted to say."

"But I couldn't."

Izuku glanced at her hands and back at her. Her lips were quivering. He had a rough idea what she meant, recalling how she always ordered white rice out of habit and ate the minimum amounts of food. When she used the tap water scarcely and when she discretely put off the lights in class when it wasn't needed. And when he saw her using short pencils with faded colour and grey erasers instead of her new ones.

"Your parents?" He asked and added, "you don't need to tell me."

"It's fine. You probably already guessed it. I want to repay my mom and dad for everything they've done for me. They mean the world to me, so one day, I want to give them a easy-going life with the money I make."

"I'm not that smart to be a banker or a doctor, so becoming a pro-hero was the next best thing." Uraraka smiled, "Plus, if I'm going to make a lot of money for my parents then I might as well do something I like."

Izuku's eyebrows lifted. "And what's that?"

Her smile turned into a grin and she lifted her arm to show her fist. "To help people. I mean, isn't that what a hero does? They help others in need."

Uraraka waited for him to say something, even criticize what she had said. After all, he must have his doubts about heroes if he was a 'dangerous villain'.

The crickets sang.

Nothing.

She put down her arm and titled her head to get a good view of him. He wasn't looking at her anymore, she realized. She caught a glimpse of his wide-open eyes moving from place to place. His cheeks were red.

Yup, a villain won't understand... yet.

"Should we go inside now?" She asked him with a worry-filled voice, but she couldn't help but laugh, "you're completely red from the cold."

"You're red too," he whispered, pouting.

Another laugh escaped her lips, while she lifted herself up. "Then let's go."

Just like that, they both returned back inside the dorms. Everyone - except Momo, Jiro and Sato - went to their rooms. They'd greeted them with smiles or skeptical looks, telling them they'd just finished cleaning and were heading to bed.

"We should go to our rooms too, Shinso must be worried," she joked before waving goodbye.

"Hey, that was my line!" Izuku laughed either way and returned the gesture. And for the record, I think you're suited for this job - being a hero, I mean.

Once she left, he sauntered to his shared room. And as Uraraka predicted, someone would be waiting for him - certainly not Shinso.

A taller boy with features that anybody could recognize from miles away waited outside.

"How unexpected," Izuku said. "Have you come to see me? Wow, I feel so special today."

Much like Shinso, his face remained the same and unfazed. For a moment, he imagined how fun it would be to get to his head too and mess around until he was sick of him like his current roommate. The harder the challenge, the more rewarding. It was no fun if they got easily annoyed like Shigaraki. He went straight to wanting to kill you.

"I need to talk to you about something," he said.

"What would the top student want to talk to me about? We've never really talked to each other until now."

His grey eye twitched, which caused Izuku's smile to grow. Yes, he would have fun with this one.

"Right." Todoroki Shotou agreed. "But we have met before. In Hosu City."

➵

I AM HERE! AND--
in desperate need of participants in my recent fanfiction contest/awards.

theanimeawards_2022

You need to have 4-5 chapters and the rest of the rules is in the book. The forms are open until the 1st of February!

Also, Izuku's found his new victim. ｡⁠◕⁠‿⁠◕⁠｡