Deku x OC My hero, My heroine

Chapter 2-The night before

When Ayako got back to her dorm room that evening, she fumbled with her keys before jamming them into the keyhole and slamming the door shut behind her. Her face felt hot, and her brain hadn't stopped bombarding her with images of Uraraka and Midoriya together. She had hardly focused during class, and had even refused Hatsume's proposal to go work on some new machines in the lab. Hatsume seemed worried about Ayako's lack of enthusiasm.

"Huh? What'up with you Ayako? Are you sick?

"No, not really."

But being sick would have been infinitely better than this torment. She imagined Uraraka talking to Midoriya, the two walking together towards her room, and then.... Ayako shook her head and pushed these thoughts aside. She straightened up.

"Let's go to the lab, I want to finish the mobile suit."

Working on the mechanical suit had chased away those unwanted thoughts, but now, as she looked at her room, they crept in again, as if they knew she couldn't disperse them anymore. She threw herself onto her bed and shut her eyes, wishing this bad feeling at the pit of her stomach would go away, but the more she tried to numb away the uneasiness, the stronger it got. Unable to bear any more of the torment, Ayako got up and started pacing across the room.

Maybe she imagined Uraraka's look, maybe she was sabotaging herself. Yes, that was it, it was nothing more than an impression, a false impression. She unlocked her phone, and scrolled through her feed without really looking at the pictures. Her fingers moved on their own, tapping and swiping across the screen until an hour later, her anxiety had subsided and her usual calm took over. She sat on the side of her bed, her phone hanging limp from her hand.

She had to do something to avoid feeling so vulnerable about Midoriya. At this rate, anyone that even looked at him would make her crumble. Ayako scrolled through her messages, and opened Midoriya's address for the second time since she'd met him. The first time, she'd cheered him on after the festival, but hadn't really gone any further than that. This time Ayako was determined to make an impression.

Her fingers flew over the digital keyboard.

"Hey how are you? I saw you in class today, don't know if you recognized me!"

No answer. He hadn't even seen the message. Ayako put the phone down on her desk. She felt her face go red. What if he ignored her? What if he thought she was too forward? She slumped on her bed again a lay there staring at the ceiling her heart gradually slowing down.

A few minutes later her phone chimed. She reached for it so fast she almost knocked it off the table, but she managed to catch it. She unlocked it. On the screen was a notification from Midoriya.

She tapped on it. She read his answer.

"Of course I remember! How are you?"

Ayako felt a warmth spread through her stomach, as she typed in an answer, stooping herself short of sending the message. She forced herself to wait a few minutes more before answering. Then she picked up the phone.

"All good! I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch tomorrow??"

The reply came almost instantly.

"Sure! Let's meet at the cafeteria." Followed by a smiley face.

When she put down her phone with a "See you tomorrow!" text from Midoriya, she felt elated. All of the day's exhaustion had disappeared, and her cheeks and forehead were burning with energy. It was late but she could hardly sleep. Instead, she worked on a component of the mechanical suit, tinkering away with her tools until her eyes drooped, and she fell asleep at her desk.