"Realization" Tsuchako, Tsuyu Asui x Ochako Uraraka

Lunchtime

Ochako POV

We ran into class right as the bell rang, and quickly sat down before Aizawa came out of his sleeping bag.

"Good morning class, and Asui and Uraraka," he stared straight at us. We both looked down in embarrassment. "Be more careful to come to class early, you were almost late." He continued with announcements, and I glance at Tsuyu. She was looking at me, relief very apparent on her face. I giggled softly, and she smiled back.

~Time Skip~

I ran over to Tsuyu's desk. "Come on, let's go get something to eat!" I smiled brightly. Tsuyu giggled softly, and stood up to walk with me. She looked at the ground most of the way there.

"Hey, are you feeling any better?"

"Ribbit?"

"I just mean since last night."

"Oh, yeah, ribbit." She gave me a smile as the blush deepened on her face and her tongue hung out of her mouth. I giggled, she looked adorable.

We got to the cafeteria, but as I went to get food, Tsuyu chose a table to sit at. 'Is she going to eat something?' She saw me staring, and she looked down at the table and hid her face. I quickly got through the line, saying a curt "Thanks" to the lunch lady, and went to join her.

"Hey, are you going to eat?" She lifted her head, and I saw a look of... was it regret? Guilt? I couldn't tell. I put my hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright?" She perked up a little, but I could tell that something was still off.

She smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine, Ribbit. What did you think of class?"

We continued with lunch, and she seemed to be okay, but something was bugging her, I knew it. I decided to pry at her after school. 'Is this because of last night, or has she been this way all along?' Guilt ran through my head as the bell rang and we headed back to class. 'I need to pay more attention to how she's feeling.' As they headed back to class Tsuyu was quiet, staring out the window for most of the walk.

Tsuyu POV

I sat at my seat, waiting for the bell to ring. I could tell at lunch that Ochako was catching on to me. My stomach grumbled, and I put my hand over it to soothe the pain. 'What the hell am I doing to myself?' I set my forehead on the desk, trying to ignore the stomachache that was persisting. When I looked up, I glanced at Ochako. She was staring at me, a look of concern on her face. I tried my best to smile, but I could tell she could see right through it. 'Come on, I know she's smarter than that.' I just looked down in embarrassment. It felt nice to have someone who cared though.

~Time Skip~

The last bell rang, indicating that the school day was over. I stayed at my desk for a little, waiting for the room and halls to clear, giving me an easier path. As I put my things in my bag, I saw Ochako walk over to my desk and sit down on it. I blushed, trying to hide my face in embarrassment. She climbed off and knelt in front of me.

"Hey, you were pretty quiet at lunch today, is everything alright?" She gave me a small smile, which broke me. 'How could I have kept this from her? She's my best friend!' I hadn't even felt the tears until Ochako wrapped her arms around me. I could feel her heartbeat, and I pressed my head against her chest, shuddering with my cries. We sat like that for quite some time, huddled on the floor, our tears staining each other's jackets. After a while I calmed down, but I didn't leave Ochako's embrace. "Are you okay with telling me?"

"Ribbit, I-I g-guess." I whispered in between sobs. Ochako stroked my hair, lightly rocking me to calm me down. "I-it's a pretty l-long story though."

She let go of me and sat on the floor, listening to me. I told her that I had been skipping meals more frequently, in the hopes of losing some weight to make training easier. Or at least that's how it started. I hadn't been overweight, but I figured it wouldn't be a bad thing to have less to deal with. But over time it became an obsession, and I hadn't even noticed. Now it was rare for me to eat a full meal a day, and training had actually become much harder, since I felt so weak.

"But I-I've never had anyone that c-cared to notice." I looked up at her, shame growing in my heart. She was still crying, but she also seemed content.

"Thanks for telling me. I know that takes a lot of courage." She looked down for a while, clearly thinking about something.

"Are you okay? Ribbit." She looked back up, her tears dripping to the floor.

"Well, the thing is... I know how you feel."