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After the fourth time Izuku drops his pencil, Uraraka asks, “Are you feeling alright, Deku-kun?”
He grimaces, feeling the attention of their entire study group immediately turned on him. It’s not Uraraka’s fault—she’s well within her right to be concerned, considering he can’t even seem to grasp his pencil tight enough to keep it in his hand right now, but still. He’d been hoping no one would notice. If he can’t even complete a basic mathematics assignment, how is he ever supposed to be a hero?
“I’m fine!” he squeaks.
Uraraka narrows her eyes.
“If you are feeling unwell, you should rest, Midoriya-kun,” Iida instructs.
He shakes his head emphatically. “No, no, I’m not sick! I promise! I’m just—” He flexes his hand, wincing at the pain that sparks through it at the motion. Apparently more movement was not what it needed right now. Maybe he should look at training himself to be ambidextrous… “—distracted?”
“Distracted,” Todoroki repeats. Izuku can’t tell if he doesn’t believe him, or if that’s just his normal deadpan tone.
“Then how about a break,” Uraraka suggests. “My legs are starting to hurt from sitting around; let’s go for a walk!” She doesn’t wait for Izuku to agree before hauling him out of his seat. She bids farewell to Iida and Todoroki for the both of them, and then marches Izuku right out of the dorm building and into the cool evening air.
His shoulders slump as the door shuts behind them. “I’m fine, seriously,” he tries again.
“Show me your hand.”
Izuku blinks. Uraraka stars at him, one hand on her hip and the other outstretched, waiting.
He relents, placing his right hand in hers. As she studies it intently, he says, “I didn’t get injured today or anything! It’s just been a bit achy, I guess. It happens sometimes. It’s not a big deal.”
“And when it just gets achy sometimes, what do you do about it?” Uraraka challenges.
Izuku looks away. “Um…”
“Deku-kun…” she warns.
“What am I supposed to do?!” he cries. “Heroes can’t let a villain get away because their hands hurt!”
“Sure,” Uraraka agrees, “but you’re not in an active villain chase right now. We’re at the dorms. Even heroes need rest sometimes, and it’s better to take a break when you’re able than power through and be rendered completely useless in a time of true need.”
“That—” Izuku falters. “Okay. That makes sense,” he admits.
Uraraka drops his hand, finally, though Izuku hardly registered she was holding it for so long. He tries to forget his hands even exist as much as possible when they hurt like this, which is probably not the best coping mechanism and certainly doesn’t help with grip control, but it’s sort of all he’s got at the moment. Recovery Girl said he shouldn’t rely on painkillers, lest he build up a tolerance to them, and he isn’t sure what else to try.
“So.” Uraraka turns. “Let’s go on that walk, over to the Class B dorms where Yaomomo is, and ask her to make you a heating pad or something.”
She starts walking, and Izuku has to jog to catch up when he finally realizes that she is not going to wait around for him.
“A heating pad?” he asks. “Will that really help?”
“I’m not sure,” Uraraka admits. “But us girls all use them when we’re cramping, so I figure heat might help soothe your pain as well. Although, I suppose we could ask her for an ice pack instead, if you think that would work better? And do you have medicine, or should we ask Yaomomo for that too?”
“I’m not supposed to depend on medicine,” Izuku replies automatically.
“When was the last time you took ibuprofen for any sort of pain?”
Izuku hesitates. He wants to argue, but he supposes Uraraka has a point. If he takes medicine every once in a while, it can’t be considered dependency, right? “…Okay. Fine. I have painkillers in my dorm room, so please don’t bother Yaoyorozu-san about that.”
Uraraka nods. “Good!” She knocks her shoulder against his. “You can tell us when you’re in pain like this, you know. Even if we can’t do anything to make it better, we can at least be there to help you in other ways. Whether you need us to fetch something from the kitchens, or sit with you and keep you company, or anything in between. I want to be a hero to help civilians and see them smile of course, but I want to be a hero for my friends, too.”
“Thanks,” Izuku’s voice comes out hoarse. He clears his throat before continuing, “I…I appreciate it. And if you ever need a hero of your own, I’ll be there for you.”
Uraraka grins. “Deal!”