Oh. My God. This may actually be one of the best things I have ever written. It's just so cute and adorable what?! ❤️😭 I really really love how this one turned out, and in the end I'm glad I took the extra time on this one even if it's a little late. I hope you guys like it! 💕 Tickletober prompts are still open!
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and Koji Koda, Class 1A's resident shy giant as some liked to call him, had decided to spend his weekend walking through one of the many trails that UA had on campus. He was humming contentedly to himself, listening in on the gossip of the birds and the gentle whistling of the wind in the trees above him, when suddenly he heard it. Faintly at first, but slowly becoming more clear as he drew nearer.
At first, the animal whisperer hero considered just turning around and walking in the opposite direction entirely, because if someone had come all the way out here to cry, then it was pretty obvious to him that they probably wanted to be alone right now and wouldn't want to be interrupted… But then again, what if they were hurt? He couldn't just leave if there was a chance that someone was injured and needed help. He was a hero after all!
With that thought in mind, he very quietly started heading in the direction that he thought it was coming from. Maybe if he was careful enough, he'd be able to check in on the person without disturbing them if they were just having a moment, then leave as soon as he'd confirmed that they were ok. That plan was instantly shattered, however, when he laid eyes on who it was.
About twenty feet ahead of him, curled up at the base of a tree with his face buried in his knees, was a familiar head of green curls that he immediately recognized as his classmate, Izuku Midoriya.
He had never really been all that close to Midoriya, not like Iida and Uraraka were. That wasn't to say they didn't get along. They did. They just didn't really have that same level of friendship with eachother as they did with other people. Even so, Koda still couldn't help feeling torn. On one hand, he didn't really feel right just leaving his own classmate alone like this now that he'd actually seen him, but on the other, he also didn't feel like it was his place to try talking to the other teen, both due to their lack of closeness and because Koda wasn't exactly the best at dealing with these types of situations in general.
Midoriya hadn't seemed to have noticed him yet since he was half hidden by a large bush, and while he stood there contemplating whether or not he should reveal himself, Koda felt something furry suddenly brush against his palm, and he startled slightly, looking down to see that a fox had approached him and pushed it's snout into his hand. He had to stifle a giggle when his new friend licked his hand affectionately. Even before his quirk had fully developed, animals had always seemed drawn to him. Situations like this weren't exactly rare for him at this point, and for that, he was grateful. His animal friends had gotten him through more hard days than he could count at this point.
Hmm, hold on. That gave him an idea actually…
Feeling inspired, Koda snuck away again, the fox at his heels, to put his new plan to cheer up his classmate into action.
Deku, for his part, really was trying his hardest to pull himself together.
He wasn't sure why, but from the very moment he'd first walked into the common room that morning to be greeted by the usual playful banter and chaos of his classmates, his mind had seemed to have decided that everything, and everyone, was to much.
It didn't make sense really. He hadn't had this same sense of overwhelming anxiety even once since coming to UA, and it seemed as if it had come completely out of nowhere unlike the many other times a panic attack had been triggered by a particularly hard day back in middleschool.
He hated this. He didn't really want to be alone right now, but at the same time he also didn't want to be around anyone. He didn't want to be asked if he was alright. He didn't want to be asked if there was anything they could do to help. He just wanted.. he wanted..
…He didn't know what he wanted.
Burying his head even further into his knees, he let out a choked whimper, silently praying that by some miracle this awful feeling of hopelessness and confusion would pass soon and he could just go back to normal.
He didn't expect his miracle to come in the form of a small band of woodland animals suddenly appearing right in front of him.
He startled slightly when he felt something cold and wet nudge into his arms, which were wrapped tightly around his knees. He looked up to come face to face with a fluffy red fox, who seemed to have brought a few of his friends along with him; A pretty young doe with soft brown eyes, five birds that were perching themselves on a nearby bush, and a little golden colored bunny with a twitching nose.
"Um.. h-hi?" He greeted them with a hesitant little wave, slowly uncurling himself from his balled up position so he could better assess the situation.
The fox yipped at him in response before moving forward to start licking at his tearstained face, and Deku couldn't help but break into a wobbly little grin at the funny sensation.
"H-Hey, cuhuhut it out! That tihickles!" He said, trying to gently push the fox's face out of his own but to no avail, and as if encouraged by the fox's playfulness and Deku's gentle laughter, the other animals present seemed to take this as their cue to join in, and soon enough poor Deku found himself curled up on his side laughing as the odd little group descended upon him.
The little birds were snuggling up against his neck, the doe was nibbling at his ears, and the bunny, who had somehow managed to push it's way into his lap, was twitching her tiny nose against his tummy through his thin t-shirt. It was all so fluttery and gentle that all Deku could do was lay there and giggle, trying desperately not to let himself squirm to much for fear of hurting them.
"Pffftahahaha! Quhuit it! Okay okay I feeheel better alrihihihight!" He begged, and as if by magic they all seemed to understand him and backed away, watching quietly as he caught his breath. It took a few minutes, but eventually he did sit up, and he was surprised to find that the previous tightness in his chest seemed to have evaporated completely, and when he finally did feel ready to head back to the dorms after his unlikely new friends had left, he couldn't help but feel a bit perplexed by the entire situation.
It wasn't until hours later, back at the dorms when he and Koda were doing dishes together after dinner, that it finally dawned on him.
His shy classmate turned to look at him, tilting his head questioningly.
"Erm- In the woods today, um.. D-did you?..." He trailed off, but Koda seemed to know exactly what he was talking about and nodded hesitantly, averting his gaze.
"You... You just seemed upset and I.. I wanted to help somehow so..." He explained in a whisper, twisting his hands together nervously.
He looked at him again after a moment's hesitation, and his eyes widened slightly when he looked down at Deku's hands. 'Thank you' he signed, smiling gratefully at him with his eyes brimming with tears, and Koda sent his own shy smile back in return.
Maybe they weren't the closest of friends, but one thing was for sure.
They would always be there for eachother when they needed them.
