And we're back! Quick side note: season four is honestly so amazing and I have now adopted Kirishima and Tamaki they are my children okay enjoy.

December first: Izuku felt like a kid again, crying in front of his mother and blubbering nonsensically, except for this time, it wasn't because of burns or bullying, but because of something he himself did.

"I l-love her, I do," he sobbed. "A-And I want to go to her and make things right, but—"

"—but she asked for space," his mother reminded him gently, and he started crying harder. The moment he'd gotten that text from Asagao, his heart had shattered. Wasn't asking for space what people did before they broke up?

A tissue came into his blurred vision. He accepted it gratefully, blowing his nose into it and then adding it to the pile in front of him. His mother's hand rubbed his back soothingly.

"I know you love her," she whispered. "It wouldn't hurt this much if you didn't. I think…I think space can sometimes be good. Plenty of couples need space from time to time, and you two have been through a lot. Maybe she just needs a while to process it."

"But I want to be there with her," he said for what felt like the millionth time. "I messed up, and I want to make things right."

His mother sighed softly. "The right thing to do right now is to respect her wishes. Give her time. Give her space. And take this time to reflect on what's been going on inside that big brain of yours."

Izuku sniffed. "What is there to think on? I messed up. That's it."

Green eyes just like his shifted into something more stern. "Now now, Izuku, thinking like that won't help. Why did you mess up?"

"Because I dated her and put her in danger."

She shook her head, sighing again and getting up from the couch. The hero watched as his mother went over and poured them both a cup of tea from the pot. "Try to see beyond your perspective, Izuku," she said. "You're seeing things in black and white— either be with her or protect her. Things just don't work like that."

His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, despair clear in his eyes. "But ever since we started dating, all that's happened to her is bad!"

"And what about beforehand?"

Glassy green eyes stared blankly. His mother smiled softly, pushing a warm mug into his hands.

"Do you think bad things didn't happen in her life before she met you?" Inko questioned.

The gears in Izuku's mind began spinning, because of course there were bad things in Asagao's life before he entered it, but that didn't stop him from feeling like some sort of curse.

When he couldn't find an adequate response, his mother patted his hair. "Bad things always happen in this world, dating a hero or not. You can't stop that."

"But I can keep her from being in more danger than usual," he argued back weakly.

His mother gave him a long, steady look. "Like I said, just think things over, okay?"

Izuku swallowed hard. "Okay."

December second: Asagao was finally getting back to work. The girls— the ones who were real, and yes, they'd checked— had been covering the shop while she recuperated. She'd gone to see a therapist that specialized in heroes and their loved ones. She'd wallowed in misery for a few days, then gotten up, dusted herself off, and decided it was time to return to life.

When she walked in, flicking on the lights and hearing the shop bell jingle, it didn't quite feel…there. The therapist said it might be like that for a while. It was a place marked with memories, both good and bad. Violet eyes glanced around, seeing ghosts of Izuku, Shinsou, and Chiemi everywhere, laughing, talking, smiling, and—

Her heart rate was spiking.

She took in a calming breath.

Muscle memory guided her behind the counter to stow away her things. As she tied her apron, she found her fingers trembling. How long had she been gone? How many days of work had she missed since dating Izuku because she'd had to deal with the emotional backlash of trauma?

Another deep breath.

'Flowers,' she thought. Those would help. They always had.

She pushed her way back into the greenhouse and immediately regretted it when she saw the wall off to the side. No, she hadn't seen it herself, but Shinsou's story and Toga's interrogation had made it clear. That was the spot where she'd lured him in. And where she was standing was most likely where Izuku had been when she saw them.

She felt sick. Her stomach churned, and despite her flowers' desperate cries to let them help, she dashed out of the room and threw her head down onto the counter, breathing heavily.

It took minutes to calm the chaos of her mind, and once she had, she dialed a now far too familiar number. It only rang once.

"I've made up my mind."

"Are you sure?" Aizawa's voice rumbled over the line, monotone, but caring and oddly soothing.

Asagao took in a shaky breath. "Yes."

"Okay. I'll see how soon I can set it up."

December third: He misses her. He misses her more than he'd ever missed anyone, more than he ever thought possible. She ran through his mind every waking moment, and he honestly doesn't know how he's kept himself from running to her apartment and begging for her to give him a chance to be better, to not be jealous, to put aside his anxiety, to trust her, to let him wrap her in his arms and not let go.

Izuku felt heavy and slow. He moved with half the speed he usually did, as though the weight of their fracturing relationship was a real, genuine weight that was dragging him down.

With all that being said, he was obviously distracted. And that's how he wound up here, sprawled out on the ground, a solid icy punch having sent him there.

"Good hit," Izuku gasped out, rolling over onto his back.

Shoto stared down at him. Over the years, Izuku had learned to read the subtle emotions in those blank heterochromic eyes. Right now, the look they had radiated sympathy.

When Izuku didn't make a move to get up, his best friend offered a hand. Izuku took it gratefully and walked over to grab his water bottle. As he chugged it down, he could still feel Shoto's gaze.

"Need to talk?"

Izuku immediately shook his head. "Maybe later."

Shoto nodded.

Later came that night at Izuku's apartment, a couple drinks in and Izuku blabbing nonsense about how there would never be another girl like Asagao ever again. He'd been doing this for almost an hour now, but Shoto didn't seem tired of him yet, and the number one pro hero really just needed a listening ear right now.

But soon, the alcohol really started to settle in, and the early buzz gave way to a dull, sleepy pulsing throughout his body. Izuku finally stopped rambling, and Shoto took his cue.

"So…why aren't you with her?"

Izuku startled out of his daze and looked up. Shoto's head was tilted in confusion, as if he genuinely didn't see what the issue was.

"I-I can't— she keeps getting into all these crazy situations with me, and," he groaned, sliding a hand down his face. "And I love her and so I don't want to do that to her, so I can't be with her because I love her, and it all makes perfect sense."

But no, apparently it didn't, because Shoto shook his head. "I've never seen you back down from a challenge before. If she means that much to you, then…" he sighed. "I don't know, you know I'm not very good at this stuff, but—"

"I know what you're trying to say," Izuku cut him off with a whisper. "I just…I can't let anything happen to her. Not again."

"That's an impossible goal, Midoriya-kun."

"…I guess."

December fourth: "…this is weird."

The girl before her smiled awkwardly. "You could say that."

Asagao could tell the difference now, though it was still subtle. It was all in her eyes. Where before there had been feigned emotion, now there was startling genuineness shining through.

But the longer she stared into those grey eyes, the longer she became uncomfortable, and Asa's gaze quickly turned down to the hospital floor.

"I—"

"You don't need to apologize."

The florist swallowed harshly. "I feel like I should."

There was the rustling of crisp sheets. Asa forced herself to look up. Chiemi, the real Chiemi, had a bittersweet grin on her face.

"I appreciate it," she said through dry, cracked, pale lips that had a cut streaking across them. The girl reached up to push some of her hair out of her eyes, and that only drew Asa's attention to the handcuff scars around her wrists, and the bruises on her face, and the scrapes that littered seemingly every surface of her body. "But I know you never wanted this. You're not the one who did this to me."

Asagao's throat hurt as she tried to hold back the sting of tears. "N-No, I wasn't, but…I still feel responsible in some way."

"And I feel responsible in some ways, too," Chiemi shrugged placidly. "She chose me for my quirk. It was used to help her plans. I'll always think about that and what it did to you guys. How you must see me now."

The florist shook her head rapidly, "You can't blame yourself like that—"

"And you can't either."

There was a brief silence during which Asa had to really, really force herself to not cry. Just like Aizawa had told her, Chiemi was nothing but a sweet, understanding girl. Asa would never forgive herself for the fact that this poor soul got dragged into her relationship drama.

"Neither of us are to blame," Chiemi stated. "We were played. Used. Victims can't shoulder the blame. The only one who is to blame is behind bars, now."

The florist managed a watery grin. "Right."

The two chatted for a little while longer before the doctor came in. Asagao didn't fight when she was asked to leave, only stopping long enough to give Chiemi her phone number and tell her that if she ever needed anything, anything, she would do it.

When Asagao walked out of the hospital, she found that she only felt marginally better than she had when she'd first walked in. She stared up at the grey December sky, wondering how many others would get hurt if she stayed with Izuku. How many more hospital visits she would have. How many other victims there would be— including herself.

December fifth: Izuku really should've seen this coming.

He stared at Kacchan blankly. "What?"

Scoffing, the number two pro hero pushed past him, barging into Izuku's apartment. "Put on somethin' warm— we're going out."

Izuku held in a sigh. There would be no point in resisting. As he grabbed his nearest coat and shrugged it on, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"Dinner," Kacchan grunted. "Ei said it would help."

Despite how numb he felt, the corner of Izuku's lips turned up. He remembered doing something similar back when Kacchan and Kirishima had a big fight during their third year at UA. He'd gone to Kirishima's dorm room and knocked until he'd gotten an answer, then dragged the teary-eyed hero out to eat.

A few months later, Kirishima had pulled him aside and thanked him profusely for that. Looked like it was time for him to return the favor.

"Is Kirishima-kun meeting us there?"

"Yeah. He just got off work. Was s'posed to be a date night."

Izuku's hand froze above where he'd been reaching for his keys. "Kacchan, I don't want to—"

"It's fine!" his friend shouted. "It was my idea! You're being annoying so we had to do something, okay?!"

Warmth filled Izuku's broken heart. "Thanks, Kacchan."

"Tch, come on, Deku. I'm not gonna be late because of you. We have a reservation."

The pair settled into a strangely peaceful silence as they left the apartment building. Silence just…wasn't typically a part of a hero's life. There were always war cries and explosions and concrete cracking and people weeping and when that becomes your everyday life, not having it even momentarily feels weird.

"So you gonna talk or what?"

Ah, that was better.

Izuku cleared his throat. "About what?"

A fiery red glare was sent his way. "Don't give me that shit. I know you and flower girl are on a break. So talk."

A bit of panic flitted through Izuku's heart. "W-We're not on a break, it's— she just needs space."

Kacchan snorted and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Space, break, it's all the same."

"R-Right."

The top two heroes fell into silence again as Izuku contemplated what to say.

"I…I love her."

"You tell her yet?"

"No, I— we hadn't gotten to that."

Kacchan fixed him with an incredulous look. "Seriously? You haven't told her yet? So she's out there wanting space and doesn't even know how you feel about her?"

Izuku's shoulders drooped. "She knows I care—"

"Not the same," Kacchan cut him off, shaking his head. "Gotta man up and tell her."

"You sound like your fiancé," Izuku quipped.

There was a growl. "Shut up, it's true and you know it. You either love her enough to act on your feelings, or you don't and you lose her. That's it."

Izuku was still thinking Kacchan's words over when he was greeted with a hug from Kirishima fifteen minutes later.

December sixth: She was in a mini dress and the highest pair of heels she owned. Lights were flashing, music was pumping, but it wasn't enough to drown out her thoughts, especially when she spotted a man with green hair across the room.

And it wasn't him— of course it wasn't, she could spot him from a mile away. But the sight of it still made her heart ache.

She was pretty sure she'd stopped breathing when she thought she saw him. Her feet had moved on their own accord, and she was getting closer, closer, not knowing what she could possibly say—

And then the man had turned around, and she'd felt like an idiot.

Now, she was at the bar, tracing the rim of her half-drunk glass of wine. Violet eyes drifted to the door for the millionth time. She didn't want to be here anymore. Honestly, she hadn't wanted to be from the start, but Hana had been so sure that this might help her get her mind off things.

But, as Asagao had found, it was impossible to get your mind off of the person who held your heart.

Sighing, she slipped off the barstool and began weaving her way through the crowd to the exit. As soon as she was outside, she shot off a text to Hana saying she was going home. Hana had been pretty excited to check out this new club, and Asa didn't feel like ruining her fun.

You would think she'd know her best friend by now.

Asagao had only made it twenty feet before there was the tale-tell sound of high heels clicking on the sidewalk. Hana was at her side in seconds, panting and giving her a guilty grin.

"Sorry, I lost track of you in there!" she apologized. "Not doing it for you?"

The florist tried to give a grin back. "Not really. Sorry."

Hana immediately shook her head. "No apologies— if it's not helping, it's not helping. Ice cream and movies back at your place?"

Asagao nodded, but then made a face. "No rom-coms, though. Or hero movies."

"Got it! There's this new spy series on Netflix—"

Her friend chattered away, going into the details of how she'd heard about the show from a friend of a friend at work. Asa wasn't really paying attention. All she could think about was green hair and that stupid bit of hope that had sparked in her chest when she saw it.

December seventh: Izuku felt like an idiot because honestly, who makes a pros and cons list on whether a relationship was worth it or not? That wikihow article had to be lying when it said this would be helpful.

Green eyes trailed down the list again, and again, the hero felt conflicted.

Pros of being in a relationship:

-Get to be with her
-She's amazing
-She's very supportive
-She's beautiful
-I've never loved anyone as much as her before
-She's one of a kind
-She makes me so happy
-Being around her is the best feeling in the world

Cons of being in a relationship:

-Might get jealous again
-My anxiety gets in the way
-She's not safe

After some hesitation, Izuku added a question mark to the end of the last one. He'd been getting the same message over and over again from everyone that her being with him didn't mean imminent danger, but he still didn't quite buy it. Maybe it was because he'd been thrust into dangerous situations since his first year at UA, and that had taught him the lesson early on that people you cared about could get hurt at any moment.

That age-old anxiety was beginning to make his head spin again. He grabbed his phone and dialed a number, and like always, it was answered quickly.

"Midoriya-kun!" Iida boomed. "Is it another panic attack? Do you need my assistance?"

Izuku smiled feebly. "I'm not having one, I just…I can feel one coming on."

"Ah, I see. Do you want to talk about it or have a distraction? Momo will not be home for a little while longer, so no worries about anyone overhearing!"

"Thanks, Iida-kun," Izuku breathed. "I, um, I think I want to talk about it. It's about Asagao. I made— ugh, this sounds so stupid, I made a pros and cons list about staying with her— n-not that I don't want to not be with her, I do, but—"

"I think that is a wise idea," Iida cut in, and Izuku realized his heart rate had been going up again. "Weighing the good and bad of any big decision is normal!"

"I-I guess so." Green eyes flickered back over the page. "I just…the pros are longer than the cons, but the cons feel bigger than the pros in some ways. Does that make sense?"

"Which one scares you the most?"

Izuku's heart twisted. "Her being in danger because of me."

"Ah, I believe we've had this discussion before, Midoriya-kun. Perhaps I should put it in a different light— do you recall after the Hosu incident when Todoroki-kun believed he was cursed?"

Despite himself, Izuku let out a laugh. "The hand-crusher curse?"

"Yes, exactly! He thought that everyone he was in association with would have their hand damaged, but was he responsible for that?"

"No, he—" Izuku's breath caught when he realized what Iida was saying.

"Midoriya-kun, no one can protect their loved ones from all harm. When Momo gets hurt, I hurt with her, but I am not to blame. When your mother was diagnosed with cancer, were you to blame?"

The tears were coming now. "N-No."

"That's correct," Iida said gently. "All you can do when bad things happen is stay and support, just like Asagao did when you were shot."

A sick feeling entered his stomach when another realization hit him— every time she'd been hurt, he'd run. He hadn't stayed. He'd panicked and left and distanced himself out of fear. She'd been constant. He hadn't. And now that she was the one doing what he'd done—

His heart shattered even more. Was this what that had felt like to her?

"—riya-kun? Are you still there?"

Izuku's breath hitched. "Y-Yeah, I…I am. Just thinking over some things, that's all. How is the wedding planning going?"

"Oh, it's fantastic! Momo picked up her dress last week and has been hiding it in the coat closet, something about a superstition, and I—"

December eighth: As much as she'd tried to avoid anything hero-related, it was pretty much impossible in Tokyo.

So here she was, grocery bags in hand, tip toeing over rubble and doing her best to avoid the cameras. Thankfully, most of them were congregated over by a building with a blast mark on it.

There was also a huge crowd of fans mobbing the presumed hero, and yeah, she was glad she was wearing a beanie today. It might not help much, but it should help her not get recognized so quickly.

Unfortunately, the path to her apartment did require her to skirt around the edge of the crowd. She kept her head down and eyes on the ground, only opening her mouth to say the occasional "excuse me" to a screaming fan.

Asagao was almost through, close to the crowd's exit point, when she felt a stare on her. The word "paranoia" flitted through her mind— the therapist had said she might experience it for a while. And so, as covertly as she could, Asa looked back behind her.

She didn't expect to meet piercing red eyes.

Of course. Of course it was Bakugo. That was just her luck.

The two stared at each other awkwardly, and honestly, she didn't know what to expect. What she didn't expect, however, was…empathy?

A glare would've made more sense. A snarl would've made more sense. Anything would have made more sense than soft look he was giving her, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion, and mouth dropped open like he was about to call out to her.

But before he could, she turned and walked away.

That look haunted her for the rest of the day.

December ninth: Her flower shop had won an award.

"Best Local Flower Shop of the Year" the post on Twitter said. Izuku stared at it, his heart increasingly becoming more and more jumbled up with each passing second.

It had been well over a week now since they'd spoken. Since they'd seen each other. Since he'd heard anything about her. He'd made sure to not follow her social media too closely to give her the space she wanted, but this had popped up from a local news station, and he…he couldn't just ignore it, could he?

Izuku loved her. He did, he really did, and all everyone had been telling him lately was that you stay through the bad times, and right now, they were going through a bad time, and—

Maybe he was just looking for an excuse to talk to her, but he also just really really wanted to be the boyfriend he should've been from the beginning.

The pro hero typed out more drafts of the text than he would like to admit before he sent the final one.

Izuku: Congratulations on the award, Asagao. You deserve it more than anyone I know.

December tenth: The shop was empty in between bridal appointments, and she was staring at her phone screen again.

She hadn't replied to his text yet. When she'd gotten it last night, she thought her heart would burst, and she was sort of mad that he'd broken the unspoken rules of "giving space," but also far too happy to just hear something from him, anything at all. Getting the news of that award hadn't felt as exciting without someone to share it with, and yet…she still just didn't know what to say back for some reason.

Asagao's heart still ached. She still felt conflicted. She still loved him.

She knew she loved him, and she knew she wouldn't be able to stop loving him. He was sunshine and warmth and kindness and laughter and gentleness and safety and everything she could possibly ever want, and everything that had happened was just because of some villain trying to mess things up.

But she still hurt.

Swallowing hard, she turned her phone off and tucked it away. Her next appointment wouldn't be in for another ten minutes, and the girls had gone out to get lunch for them all. She needed a distraction.

A minute later, Asagao was dusting pollen off the shelves. She hummed quietly as she did so— it wasn't a happy tune, but it was there. Her flowers gave her sweet whispered encouragements. She hadn't been singing to them lately. It was nice to see progress.

As the florist moved to a different shelf, she picked up on a scent other than the ever-present floral perfume that filled the shop. It smelled like…gas?

A sound like multiple gunshots going off at once pierced through the quiet.

Eyes wide, Asagao raised a cocoon of vines to protect her—

The blast rocked through the building. She flew through the air and landed roughly against the wall, crying out. Asa registered pulsing pain in her head before everything went black.

Please leave a review! I know I'm leaving you on another cliffhanger, but just hold on tight!