Archive of Our Own

Todoroki sighed, leaning back against Ochako’s coffee table with a look that Izuku couldn’t describe. His eyes were all squinted shut and his mouth hung slightly open, like he was searching the walls for some kind of response. Izuku didn’t blame him, honestly. It was ridiculous.

“I-It was an accident, I s-s-swear,” he stuttered, although not from anxiety this time.

The biting cold in his limbs might’ve had something to do with it.

“I would hope so.” Todoroki ran a hand down his face, probably deciding if this conversation was worth pursuing further. Evidently biting the bullet, he spoke. “How did this even happen?”

“Ah, well, y-you see…”

Izuku’s explanation died in his throat as Todoroki stood expectantly over them.

He glanced between Izuku and the equally large mass of pillows and blankets next to him, where, towards the middle, a pair of bright brown eyes peeked out through a slit they had created. She blinked twice, indicating that she didn’t really have anything to add, either. Izuku could still see the blankets shaking if he looked hard enough.

He shivered again, turning his face toward the space heater that Todoroki had brought up to them— against dorm policy, yes, but at the moment it was very well saving their lives. So Izuku didn’t really care. He reached out, trailing his fingertips along the vent—

Only to be met with a very harsh swipe from Todoroki.

“Ow,” he whined, pulling back.

“You’ll burn yourself. Might seem like a good idea now, but you’ll be regretting it later, trust me.” He frowned at Izuku’s pout, and reached out to him, brushing back Izuku’s hair—still wet. He placed his left hand on Izuku's forehead, expression unchanging.

A rush of warmth cascaded across his body. “That’s… that’s nice.”

 “Me next,” a muffled voice said next to him.

Todoroki removed his hand after a second, rummaging around in the other blanket cocoon to find their companion. A deep sigh filled the room, and Izuku understood. Todoroki’s warmth still hadn’t faded from his own skin.

“Are you okay?” Todoroki asked her, concerned.

“No.”

“You still haven’t told me how this happened.”

Izuku glanced weakly at Ochako. “Are you okay to talk yet, or should I tell him?” The blankets quivered violently, and he sighed. “Guess I’ll tell him. Okay, so it started out with me and Uraraka on a walk to see the snow…”

“I can’t believe nobody wanted to come out here with us!” Ochako cried, waving her arms excitedly. “They’re no fun at all— who wants to sleep when winter’s first snow is on the ground?”

Izuku had to agree. Especially with the sight around them— all his life snowfall had been tiny and inconsequential, but here he was, in the middle of a park near UA’s campus, and snow had collected in drifts all around the walking trail. He was never really a fan of colder temperatures, but he definitely liked the snow. Even if his movements were stiffer and his response time suffered immensely, the sacrifice of function was worth the aesthetic... as Kaminari would put it, at least. He and Ochako stood just beside a lake, taking in how the white had swallowed all of summer’s greenery, leaving nothing but deep browns and tree skeletons to contrast the pure and undisturbed expanse. He’d never seen it this deep. It was so beautiful.

It was just the two of them, and Izuku felt bad that their friends were missing out. Iida wanted to catch up on training, Tsu couldn’t for obvious reasons, and their other friends had procrastinated so long on their term projects that they were now scrambling late into the night to put them together. Todoroki had shot down the invite as soon as it was given. I make ice, he’d said, I can see it anytime I want.

Todoroki’s Quirk was pretty, he guessed, but surely nothing compared to the quiet nature that flowed out, unrestrained, before them. The lake’s surface glistened in the pale noon light.

It was amazing.

“I never get to see winter this still,” he whispered, closing his eyes. Another incredible thing, he guessed, that had happened to him since starting at UA.

“Hey, Deku!”

“Yeah?” he asked happily, whirling toward her.

Big mistake.

A face full of snow hit him, sending searing cold particles across his freckled cheeks. He scraped his gloves across his face, wiping the water off.

“Uraraka!” he cried, betrayal hanging off his tone.

“Pfft,” she snickered, covering her mouth. “Sorry, I’ve read it so many times in books that I had to try it just once!”

He threw back the little remains handing from his coat sleeves, but she expertly dodged. He didn’t really have the heart to go after her again. Instead, he gave her a wounded look, walking along the grass where the lake met the land. She caught up to him, giggles dying off. “So watcha thinkin’ ‘bout?”

“Nothing, really. I just think the lake is really pretty— the way it reflects all the snow and stuff.”

She smiled. “Yeah, you’re kind of romantic like that.”

Heat flooded his cheeks, effectively melting any snow that lingered there. “Romantic?”

“Yeah. You’re always thinking deeply about stuff, y’know? You always find a hidden meaning, even in the simplest things. I just think it’s really cool.”

Her clarification did nothing to clear his blush away. Unsure how to take the compliment, his arms stiffened, and his eyes darted to the ground. “T-Thanks, Uraraka. Most people just kind of think it’s, well… annoying.”

She pursed her lips. “Well, they’re wrong. You have such a unique point of view. I love talking to you.”

Was this? The cold? Making him hallucinate? Surely.

Or wait, was that heat?

Before he could sputter out some sorry excuse of a response, he saw her eyes widen. Excitement rushed into them as she patted him on the elbow. “Hey, Deku! Look, there’s a pier! Let’s go sit over the lake— we can relax and talk over there.” She placed her fingers together, like she often did out of habit. “I’d feel bad disturbing all the snow when it looks so nice out here.”

He nodded, looking back over the grove. So pretty…

Ochako bounded ahead, having to take leaps since the snow came up to her mid-calf. Izuku didn’t fair much better as he waded through, trying to keep up with her. He was grateful that he’d substituted his red high-tops for the single pair of winter boots he owned. He wasn’t sure if those poor shoes could take much more abuse. Finally, Ochako’s feet hit the wood, and she pulled him out of the snow to stand next to her. She trembled, sinking deeper into her scarf and pulling her hat further down her head. “Whoa, it’s so cold out here, isn’t it?”

“Y-Yeah,” he said, readjusting his own hat. His unruly hair was causing it to come loose.

He wished he had an extra jacket or something to give her. Her ears were turning red.

His thoughts jumbled together, trying to find a solution, when they reached the edge of the pier. Ochako shifted, placing her hands behind her back. She cast a glance at him, tilting her head. “Uh, Deku? Everything okay?”

“Uh-huh!” he yelped. “Fine! Just great! Just… the cold’s not too bad, right? I-I don’t mind going back to the dorms if you’re uncomfortable… or anything…”

She glanced at him, eyebrows raised, but then she smiled. “I’m okay, Deku. Thank you, though.”

Her smile spread to his own face, and for a moment, he couldn’t look away.

It was still hard to be alone with her, sometimes, because his heartrate increased and he tripped over his words so much— he did that a lot with Ochako, he’d noticed, more than with anyone else. But he didn’t want these moments to go away from him. He loved being with her, because her kindness warmed his heart unlike anyone he’d ever met before. And for the few weeks that she’d avoided him, before the provisional license exam…

It was like a hole had opened up in his life. And with how empty it was before meeting her, Iida, and Todoroki, he found that he didn’t much care for it.

So when she’d asked him to accompany her to the park today, of course he’d accepted. Even when none of their friends could make it and his nerves made him nauseous, he dragged himself out of bed and met her. Things were back to normal.

Well, almost. Something had shifted in their dynamic. He couldn’t quite put a finger on it, but it was there. Especially when she thought he wasn’t looking. Longing looks, sadness in her voice. She projected her old self even though he knew that something was different.

He didn’t want to demand answers. But he did want her to know that he was still her friend.

Friend… Friend…

Holy-crap-he-was-still-staring.

Her eyes had widened, clearly waiting for him to say something— he’d seen that neutral look before, the kind she made when she was internally freaking out. Sheesh. He’d scared her.

He whipped around, face redder than his stupid high-tops.

He hadn’t meant to get so… entranced. But her cheeks had that light dusting of pink from the cold, and her smile was so soft, just for him, the sun hitting her eyes directly and making them glitter like freshly-discovered amber--

Whoa.

So bright!

“Deku?” she asked, confusion in her voice. “Is something the matter?”

He covered his face, turning back to her. “No— yeah, all good on my end. You?”

“I’m fine, but…”

She laughed again. He made a tiny noise of inquiry, and she waved her hands. “Aren’t you cold?”

“Um… N-No more than normal, why—”

“Ah, it’s just— your hat, it— you have something in your hair,” she managed finally, between her chuckles. “Let me get it for you.”

Without warning, she reached up and strung her fingers into his dark hair. Izuku inhaled sharply. She’s touching me!

Her hand was so soft as she pulled at the little strands, carding over his head gently. His body wouldn’t respond anymore. He wasn’t that much taller than her, so she didn’t have to reach that far, but still she stood on her tip-toes so they were eye-to-eye.

It felt so nice that he forgot why she was doing it.

Little bits of white fell into his eyes. Snow! From where she’d hit him earlier! “There,” she said, fingers ruffling his hair back into place. “Better.”

“Uh— uhm—y-your fault,” he murmured, unable to string together a sentence.

She held her hands up. “Guilty.”

His body remained rigid as she pulled away. He was shaking again— but it definitely wasn’t because of the cold.

Get. It. Together! Deku! ‘Dekiru!’ It’s just my best friend, we spend tons of time together, I’ve got this— it's just a girl-- a really pretty girl-- my best friend girl--

He didn’t realize he was mumbling into his scarf.  He also didn’t realize that he’d taken an instinctive step back, finding some comfort in space, even though he was unsure why that was. He liked being near Ochako. But his anxiety welled up and it was like being two of the same poles on a magnet. He physically couldn’t do it.

His boots crunched against the snow beneath him. Crunch. Crunch.

Wait, that wasn’t solid—

Ochako realized it a split second before he did.

Her eyes filled with horror as his foot slid forward, throwing his weight back, sending him right off the edge of the pier.

“Deku!” she cried.

“Ah!”

He threw his arms out, summoning his Quirk by accident. Gusts of air shot out around him. Time slowed as he fumbled around and his world tilted sideways.

He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for very unfortunate contact with the freezing water below.

It didn’t happen like he expected it to.

Instead, something pressed hard against his neck, and suddenly the feeling of falling was gone.

Slowly, his eyes opened. A wide expanse of blue was all that he could see. The sky, he realized. A tree branch drifted into his field of vision.

He was floating away from the pier!

“Okay, okay, okay,” he said, voice wavering. He waved his arms around, trying to gain some kind of control. He glanced to the side. There, Ochako sighed in relief, tension releasing from her shoulders. “Uraraka!”

“That was close,” she said. “I don’t even wanna think about what would’ve happened if you fell in!”

“No kidding,” he sighed, looking down at the water. "Thanks!"

“Of course, Deku. Okay, I’ll try to pull you back. Do you think you can use your Quirk to get over here, like always?”

He nodded. “Yeah, no problem!”

“All right, Deku, just—”

She reached forward, holding a hand out—

And stepped on the exact same patch of ice that he had.

Time slowed down again. Izuku seemed to stop breathing as she hovered in the air for a moment, looking terrified.

He didn't like that expression on her.

Izuku’s breath hitched as she toppled over, then, plummeting right for the frigid water of the lake.

“Uraraka!” Izuku cried, throwing one hand out. "No!"

She brought her hand up to float herself, fingertips ghosting over her own palms, but Izuku had already reacted. One Delaware Smash sent him careening in her direction. Before she could activate her Quirk, Izuku came barreling towards her, unable to stop in his trajectory as he realized what she was doing. He instantly regretted his action.

He knocked her off her balance as he met her in space, sending her flailing toward the bitterly cold water.

The impact shook Izuku to his core. She tried calling for him, but before she could get the words out, she was submerged.

“Uraraka!”

Crap, crap, crap.

Izuku scrambled, tumbling head over heels in the air trying to reach her. He didn’t make it. Ochako’s eyes went glassy as she came into contact with the water’s surface. Her limbs locked up, cold shock seizing her body, Izuku unable to do anything as he watched her sink further down, darkness overtaking her middle and oozing across her hips.

“Uraraka!” he called. “Uraraka, swim!”

She had to keep her head above the water. Had to.

She inhaled deeply. Silvery streams cascaded down her forehead, falling from her hair, and a strained expression twisted across her features. She was pale already, her natural blush having faded from her cheeks so that it was almost gone entirely.

“D-D-Deku,” she choked out, voice ragged. She was having trouble breathing. “Cold! Cold!”

Crap. Crap!

How deep is this lake?

It didn’t look like she could swim. He had to find a way to pull her out.

He grit his teeth as he looked down to her, determination and concern lighting a fire in his emerald eyes. “Uraraka, hang on, I’m gonna get you out of there!”

She reached out, touching a hand to her cheek. Small lights emitted from her fingertips.

She did not float up. Her Quirk worked differently in water, he guessed, although he didn’t know the specifics— which weren’t important right now, he chided himself. He extended his arms, but her hands were just out of reach. Her face puckered up when she saw that their fingers were just out of each other’s range.

She was growing weaker, too. Her movements weren’t as powerful as before.

“Please,” he begged. “Just hang on!”

He fired off one more Smash, careful to restrain his power so that he didn’t fall into the water alongside her. The last thing she needed right now was for him to get trapped, too. He was already sluggish before he'd needed to jump into action. Finally, his palm met her arm, and he closed his fist. He grabbed her by the wrist, calling his power to the surface, wanting to get her out as quickly as possible.          

All he did was drag himself closer to her.

“G-Gravity,” she said, coughing, her arms growing limp in his hold. She was hyperventilating. “Mass. Water has mass.”

Izuku’s eyes narrowed. He looked her over, and then he understood. The water droplets clinging to her clothes were weighing her down. He needed more leverage.

“Okay. Hang on to me.”

Hooking one arm under hers, he shot the other one out in front of them, turning his back to the pier. He let his guard down, for just a moment.

Suddenly, ice crept into his veins, from the tips of his toes all the way to his heart. It was like drinking cold water too fast, becoming very aware of the placement of your bones as the chilling temperature roved throughout your body. It was if he could feel his blood actively being replaced with slush.

His boots had dipped into the water, trying to carry Ochako. One hand, around her waist, had as well.

Was this what she had felt falling in here?

No way. It had to be so much worse.

Water transferred from her body to his, but he was careful to keep his clothes as dry as possible. He fired off another Smash, and then another, slowly dragging them toward the pier.

Ochako’s legs trailed after them. Her breathing had grown heavier.

God, he was so stupid.

Finally, after what seemed like entirely too long, they made it close enough for Izuku to anchor himself to one of the pier’s support beams. It took so much effort to heave his feet out of the water. The wood itself was level with the lake’s surface, so he had no trouble drifting over dry territory. Making sure there was no freaking ice beneath him, he glanced down to Ochako.

“Uraraka, do you think you can release me?” he asked.

“Uh— um— sure—”

Her shaking hands— nearly blue now— slowly came together. But her control was gone, and she couldn’t maneuver her fingerpads together to release her Quirk. “D-Deku, a little help here—”

He blushed, understanding what she was asking. But then, he reset his face in determination. He chided himself, remembering the unspoken rule he’d put into place ever since he obtained his provisional license.

The feelings of those in need always came before his own.

Carefully and as gently as he could, Izuku reached down and wrapped his gloved hands around Ochako’s. Her eyes lingered, dazed, upon them. He moved them together, fingers connecting, and all at once his weight returned.

His knees collided with the wood, sending shockwaves up his legs. That hurt a lot more than he thought it would.

With his hands still gasping Ochako’s, arms around her waist, he tried to pull her out. He stopped short when he saw that he was getting nowhere, fast.

And he felt exhausted.

“Full Cowl,” he murmured, and green lightning sparked against his skin. It faded again after less than a second. He shook his head, trying to clear its fog, and called upon his powers again. “Full Cowl.”

He was able to sustain it this time. With more energy than he would’ve liked, he pulled Ochako over the side of the pier, the sudden momentum causing both of them to fall back.

There they laid, side by side, one soaking wet and the other dead tired in sub-freezing temperatures.

What a disaster.

Izuku peeled himself from the ground, brushing his hair from his eyes. So much for a relaxing day in the park… He reached over, checking his friend, still gasping from the overexertion of being in icy water for too long.

She looked okay. A little on the cold-cut side, but okay.             

“Oh, Uraraka,” he murmured, squeezing her shoulders beneath his hands. She coughed, turning over on her side. Immediately she dragged her legs and arms closer trying to siphon some warmth from her core. There was none. Guilt weighed heavily in his chest. “Uraraka, I-I’m sorry, holy crap, I’m so sorry…”

It was all his fault. His clumsiness, impulsiveness, stupidity—

“‘S-s-okay,” she murmured, blinking to keep her eyes open. “I’d save you anytime. Kinda was my fault, too.”

"No..." He bit his lip. His mind snapped to physical care. “Ah, we gotta do something before your body shuts down—”

He knew what that something was, it was obvious, and instantly he turned away again. His rule, his rule—

“D-Deku?”

“I’m g-g-gonna take some of your clothes off, okay?” he said, completely unaware of how intrusive that sounded until a second after he said it. Oops.

It probably looked even worse that he stripped off his coat in the very next instant.

Ochako blearily tried to affix her gaze to him. “D-Deku? What…?”

He moved fast, taking her drenched coat from her small body and replacing it with his own. Immediately the chill from Ochako’s splashes seeped into his skin, and all he was left with was a long-sleeved shirt, but he didn’t care. He ripped off her hat and scarf, taking his own to wrap around her head, hopefully to soak up some of the water in her hair. His gloves were useless, having been dipped in the water to fish her out. He was also dimly aware of the growing numbness in his toes from his boots, but he couldn’t concentrate on that.

Ochako shivered violently, eyes shut tight. She was stiff as he maneuvered her body, but she didn’t protest. He imagined she didn’t have the energy to.

He took off her shoes and coerced her to curl up tighter. There, that should probably sustain her until he figured out…

Oh, yeah—what the heck was he supposed to do now?

If he left her out like this, she’d probably start to freeze. He had to get her somewhere warm, quickly.

He grimaced. He’d left his cell phone at the dorms— and, with one glance toward Ochako’s coat, he knew that hers was probably unsalvageable. He was on his own getting her back to UA.

Okay. He could do this, he could do this.

He gave her a weak smile. “H-Hey, just stay awake, okay? I’ll get you back to the dorm in no time. But you gotta stay with me.”

“I-I’m here,” she mumbled. With difficulty, she opened her eyes. “You don’t gotta be the hero with me, Deku. Y-You’re cold, too.”

“I’m f-fine?” he tried.

“You’re so not.”

She could see right through him. He was trembling nearly as bad as she was, losing feeling in his extremities as the adrenaline faded and the cold air seeped into their bones.

If he stalled any longer, he’d be in the same position she was.

“Uraraka,” he began, shoving down the discomfort, “I think I should bring you back to the dorm. We both need to warm up, quick, or this’ll turn bad.”

“You’re probably right.” She sighed, obviously upset. “I-I can walk if you—”

“No, I can carry you. Expending a whole lot of energy will just make you colder.”

Some of her color returned. “C-Carry me?”

“Well, yeah! You’re so cold, you can barely move!”

He was right, and she knew it, which was why she didn’t protest. She tried to move her arms, but couldn’t even lift them. She puffed out a breath, dejected, but surrendered to his request. “Fine. Just… take care of yourself, too, okay?”

Izuku nodded. Kneeling in front of her, he reached out. He wound one arm around her back, bracing the crook of his elbow against her shoulder and his hand against her side. His other arm slid below her knees, and, making sure he had a solid grip on her, he lifted.

And promptly fell right onto his backside when his knees buckled.

Ochako dropped against his chest. Her eyes were closed now, and she pressed her lips together. “D-Deku…”

“Hang on, just— hang on—”

He glanced in front of him, to Ochako’s other side, where his two drenched snow boots stuck from underneath her.

His legs…

They wouldn’t move. His feet had disappeared somewhere below him, he couldn’t tell where they were anymore. He could see them, of course. But he wasn’t aware of them in space, not in the least. He groaned, trying with all his might to pull himself from the ground. He was short of breath in seconds.

No, way. He guessed, in the rush of trying to save Ochako, he hadn’t realized how wet he’d gotten, or how badly the water had affected him. But now that he knew that the girl was safe in his arms, it was like his body had decided its job was done. Call it a day, Deku! Good work, Izuku!

But they were still in danger.

He wished he had a phone. He could just stay here. And he knew just who to call to pick them up, too.

He couldn't move. They were stuck.

They were in a park. Nothing to do now but wait for some passerby to discover them, he guessed, and them use their phone. He couldn’t hope to carry Ochako back like this. And there was no way he was leaving her.

Hunker down and wait. They couldn’t be waiting too long, right? Right.

He buttoned his coat over Ochako’s upper body, pulling up the collar so that it covered her face.

“W-W-What’s goin’ on?” she slurred.

"It's okay," he said. "I'm gonna keep you warm."

He pulled her closer, trying to make sure her skin wasn’t exposed to the wind, and waited. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there. Ten minutes, twenty. He didn’t know. Ochako was still shivering— it was bad for her, but sharing warmth like this, it should put off any problems caused by the cold.

Right? He was doing the right thing? They hadn’t had any extensive first-aid training yet…

His knowledge about freezing extended to keeping the victim warm. He’d never thought about being in a position where they’d both be immobilized. But his legs had stopped responding, and he was very tired.

Sleeping under duress was bad. So he kept his mind busy. He concentrated on Ochako, both fading in and out of coherency, until something startled him awake.

Were those… voices? Ugh, he was way too tired to check.

He needed to, he needed to—

“Are these the kids?” A man’s voice asked, a little ways from him.

“Yeah. The lady who called it in mentioned they were on the pier. This has to be them. Look, this one’s practically frozen!”

Called it…?

Oh. Oh. Someone had seen them fall! And called it in, too!

Thank goodness.

Someone tried to take her from him, but she merely curled in closer, winding her fingers into his shirt. She shivered so badly that he was sure the sharper contours of her body left bruises on his own. He said nothing, pressing her head further into his embrace. He tightened his hold, pulling his knees up, boxing her in, safe and sound.

He was all too aware of the cold that her absence would bring. 

He was so, so tired. He just wanted to rest his cheek against her head and sleep.

“Izuku Midoriya?” another voice said. It was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t open his eyes to see. He couldn’t really place it. Instead, he focused on Ochako’s soft breaths against his collarbone, the rhythmic expansion of her chest as she inhaled. “Yeah, I know him. He, uh, helped us out this one time, I guess? Don’t tell me that’s who we got called out here for.”

More shifting, voices of confirmation. He sighed internally. Honestly, same.

He was aware of when a presence materialized beside him, drawing closer and then lowering so that it was nearly eye-level. It wasn’t threatening. Not that he could do much if it was, anyway. He opened his eyes as much as he could, the world around him amounting to little more than a blur.

The presence drew back. And then, something much smaller was in front on him. Popping sounds reached his ear. Snaps.

“Hey, kid, you awake?”

He groaned in response. The tinier presence receded, too. But then he felt something rustling around his chest. Someone pulled the coat back. They didn’t move to take Ochako away from him, so he didn’t move, either. The voice sighed heavily. “There’s another one here, a girl, about his age. She looks like she fell asleep. She’s soaking wet. He probably jumped into the water after her… yeah, this one’s pretty reckless.”

Something heavy draped around his shoulders, but man, was it warm. He sank deeper into it, careful to let Ochako closer, too.

“He’s responsive, just lethargic. Okay, bring the van around. We’ll bring them back to the office, get them warmed up there. Doesn’t look bad enough to call the hospital. He clearly doesn’t want them to be separated, so we’ll keep them together. At least until we get them moving again.”

Any remaining tension in Izuku’s body eased. The voice was going to let them stay together. That was good.

Argh, how humiliating. At least it ended well for them, though.

Why did he have to be such a magnet for trouble? He’d like to go out and have a nice day with his friends without attracting a near-death situation, thank you very much. His klutziness was evidently more of an enemy that Tomura Shigaraki could ever be.

Bummer.

“Only you two,” Todoroki said, shaking his head.

Izuku shook as he shoved his hands under his shirt, trying to grasp any remaining warmth that he could. He could feel his ribs where his hands pressed against his sides, so cold it almost burned. Lovely. “It was a good thing Mount Lady was in the area and recognized us,” he murmured. “Or else we’d probably be hero-sicles.”

 Todoroki gestured to a duffel bag thrown haphazardly against Ochako’s dresser. It was emblazoned with Mount Lady’s logo. “So I’m guessing that those are your clothes?”

Ochako, having retreated slightly from her fortress to latch onto Todoroki, nodded. “Mount Lady felt so bad that she gave me one of her sweaters and a pair of merch pants for free,” she said. “I had no idea she was so nice! She knew Deku, though, so I guess that helped. Her sidekicks found him something to wear.”              

He glanced down to his feet, wrapped in socks that had Mount Lady’s face stamped on them. It wasn’t terrible, all things considered. Mount Lady had even bought them lunch.

He sighed. “So our snow day ended in disaster!”

“In short, we tried to save each other,” Ochako said.

Izuku melted back into the blankets. “And only managed to get us both onset hypothermia.”

Todoroki’s nose crinkled as he pulled the thermometer from Ochako’s mouth. “Well, your temperature’s back up to normal,” Todoroki said, flicking the thermometer. “Ninety-eight degrees.”

Izuku nearly spat his own out when Todoroki held up his hand. “Fahrenheit, that is.”

“Why do you even have Fahrenheit thermometers?” Ochako rasped.

“Went to America once. Got them as a souvenir.”

Izuku blinked. Sure, why not.

Todoroki’s phone buzzed, and he looked down. “Iida’s got your hot chocolate. He prepared some for me and him as well. I’m going down there to assist him. You guys should probably stay awake until we’re sure that you’re thawed out.”

It took a second to peel Ochako away from Todoroki’s arm. Reluctantly, she released him, and Todoroki exited Ochako’s room. A stuffy silence surrounded them. Izuku glanced sadly at the space heater, all of a sudden reminded of why they were there in the first place.

“Hey, Uraraka?” he muttered, looking down. “I’m sorry for knocking you into the water…”

“It’s fine,” she said cheerily, despite having nearly drowned and then frozen hours earlier. “Like I said, I’m just as much to blame as you are. And, y’know, I’d save you anytime!”

His body may have been cold, but warmth swirled into his heart. “S-Same here.”

“There is a way you can make it up, though.”

He turned to her, waving his hands wildly. “Anything you need!”

“Anything?”

“Anything!”

“Here, hold this.”

Izuku sputtered as he got a face full of downy comforter. Ochako moved, rather stiff, unfolding the blanket and letting half fall across his shoulders. Wait, half?

She groaned happily, melting into his side and taking her hands into his. Hers were still icy to the touch.

He squeaked out in surprise. “Uraraka! Uraraka, what—”

“Todoroki left. I-I mean, if you’re uncomfortable—”

“No!”

Izuku gulped. Uraraka was a lot more used to physical contact than he was. Maybe, if this was really the best way to help her, he should do it. It was his fault, after all.

And hey, it wasn’t like he was complaining.

A girl had just sought him out for comfort!

Wait, no.

“…Are you just doing that because you’re cold?”

“Mostly. But I’m really not mad or anything.” She smiled, squeezing his hands. “Just wanted to let you know that.”

She drew back, and he missed her already.

But, in the next second, she rested her head against his shoulder and sighed deeply. His face flared with heat. Not cold anymore!

“Wow,” Ochako said, a hint of surprise in her voice, “you really are warm.”

“Heh— heh— yep!”

If she only knew.

But as the seconds passed, he couldn’t help but think how… comfortable it was. Sharing Ochako’s warmth, being next to her. It was unfamiliar, and nerve-wracking, but he couldn’t help how much he liked it.

He could see the appeal of casual touches, if he was being honest. If only he wasn’t so jumpy…

And before he knew it, he’d fallen asleep in her embrace.     

Todoroki’s dumbfounded expression returned.

“No, you idiots,” he cried, taking them both by their shoulders. “I don’t care how cute you think you are, no sleeping!”

The sudden contact startled Izuku. Before he realized what he was doing, One for All sparkled across his body, and he swiped across his chest to instinctively protect himself— throwing Ochako behind him with a yelp.

Todoroki was holding a single cup of hot chocolate.

Well, he was. Currently, he was wearing it.

Izuku froze, well aware that his warmth had returned. Ochako looked on, mortified.

It was silent as Todoroki looked down, and then at Izuku, and then down again.

And then, he caught fire.

Literally.

"Oh, I'll warm you up, Midoriya."

That… sounded way more ominous than a sentence like that should have.

Izuku threw his hands up. “Todoroki, wait, Todoroki, I didn’t— I—”

He jumped up, but wasn’t fast enough.

And that was how Izuku Midoriya went from hypothermic to flambéed in a span of six hours.

Ochako would be cleaning scorch marks off her walls for weeks.