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It started their third year at UA. After she couldn't save ten pedestrians from a crashing building.
She wasn't fast enough.
The water on the pavement was too slick.
She tripped.
Her quirk stopped working.
And then--
"NO!" Uraraka flung herself up into a sitting position, sweat coating her body as her chest heaved. She looked around her room to find that she was alone in the safety of her bed. The warmth of her weighted blanket pressed into her legs. Remembering this and focusing on that weighted feeling helped her steady her breathing. But it was still hard.
Ever since that day...
Lightning lit up the sky, burning her tired, anxious eyes when she looked outside her dorm window.
CRACKLE! BOOM!!
Another strike of lightning.
CRACKLE! BOOM!!
Tears started streaming down her cheeks as she plunged face into her damp pillow. She must have been crying in her sleep again too.
Those broken bodies.
The pleas for help...
Why couldn't she be fast enough?! WHY?
Sobs soaked through her pillowcase as she tried desperately to shake those haunting visions from her head...But it wasn't working.
The looks of their families' faces...The disappointed stares...
She felt like she was crumbling and there was nothing she could do.
Her classmates had noticed the shift in her personality and how she handled herself on patrol and in class.
Her eyes didn't shine as bright. Her smile was stiff. Shoulders slouched. Dark rings hugged the bottoms of her eyes after stormy nights like these...
She tried doing those deep breathing techniques the school's new therapist told her to try. Then she heard a knock at her door.
It startled her, her body trembling at the combination of the knock and another strike of lightning.
"Uraraka, my love, I'm coming in..."
Iida. Her precious Iida was there.
She had asked Momo to make her a spare key to give to him so that he could come in during nights like these.
The moment he walked through the door she started feeling better. He was her rock. Her anchor.
He was there after it happened, seeing Uraraka collapsed on her knees, doubled over, and screaming, damning the villain who created the earthquake that took the lives of so many people.
Iida walked over to her bed and sat down. "Is it okay if I--?"
"Yes, p-please..." She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down so he was lying next to her.
Her bed was small, but it only brought them closer.
Iida turned to face her so she could bury her nose into his chest, tears of frustration flowing freely now with another boom of thunder, sending her into a shivering mess.
"Shhhh..." Iida took a hand to brush her hair. "I'm here, starlight...I'm right here..."
Uraraka knew that. She knew she was safe with him, that everything would be okay. No, she couldn't erase the past, but he was here to help her stay calm.
The additional weight and warmth of his body seeped into her bones. The tightness in her chest unwound itself as her crying slowed down until she was sniffling mumbles of "it was all my fault" and "I'm sorry" and "thank you."
"It's okay, Uraraka," Iida pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of her head. "It's okay...I know it hurts...And I'm here now, I'll keep those nightmares away, alright?"
Uraraka took a deep breath in, breathing in the minty pine combination of Iida's body wash before she nodded and replied. "Y-Yeah...I know you will..."
She snuggled herself closer to him. She felt bad. His nightshirt must be full of snot right now.
But he said it was okay, so it must be okay.
"Try to match your breathing to mine, love," Iida cradled her head against his chest as a prompt.
Again, she nodded and did as she was told.
After a few moments, her breathing was a mimic of his, and she could feel herself calming down.
A crackle of lightning made her body tense.
Iida immediately tightened his hold around her. "How about you try listening to my heartbeat tonight, hm?" Iida offered, smiling into her hair. "Try counting them out for me."
"O-Okay..." Uraraka took a deep breath as she pressed her ear to his chest and began counting the beats. His heartbeat was probably her favorite song.
He tried this tactic to help her feel better the first night he came to console her. She had texted him she had had another nightmare, one worse than the nightmares before. Another terrifying night of lightning and thunder that mimed the sounds of the crumbling building.
By the time she counted to twenty, Uraraka had floated into a safe space where the booming thunder and strikes of harsh lightning faded into the distance.
It was just the two of them in her bed, holding each other. And it was beautiful.
This time it took her to count to ten before she felt her body completely calm down.
She felt better.
Her chin tilted upwards to see Iida looking at her with loving, protective eyes. "How do you feel, my dear?" He stroked a line up and down her back with the palm of his hand.
"Better...Thank you..." She nuzzled herself back into his arms. "C-Can you spend the night? Please?"
Iida let a deep chuckle rumble in his chest. He pressed a kiss to her head again and reached down to grab the spare blanket she kept tucked under her bed, the blanket that had been designated as his for their impromptu sleepovers.
"Yes, but you must promise me you won't tell the others. I still have a reputation of the rule enforcer for Class 1-A." He threw the blanket over both of them as he adjusted himself into a more comfortable position on his back, arching his arm for her to lean into.
Uraraka pivoted her body so that she was curled into the crook of his arm before he wrapped it around her, bringing her in. "I promise, I always do."
Iida yawned in appreciation before giving her side a tiny squeeze. "You are amazing, Uraraka," he whispered. "Would you like to try to sleep now?"
She thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, we have a long day tomorrow...Probably for the best..."
"Mmm," Iida hummed in agreement. "Then let's try together. If you get scared again, just wake me up, okay?"
"Ah ha," Uraraka yawned back. "Thank you again, Iida...I-I appreciate you coming over..." She tilted her head to give his arms a kiss.
"Anytime, my love," now it was his turn to turn his neck and give her another kiss, this one on her forehead. "Anytime, day or night..."
Iida fell asleep first, which was usually the case.
Uraraka honestly did feel better with him sleeping next to her. She slept better and felt safe and secure. She knew she would have to find a way to do this by herself someday. There was no guarantee that they would be in each other's lives forever...
But Uraraka could hope.
And tonight, he was with her.
And that was all that mattered.
With him, storms seemed a little less scary.