Sorry an update for this has taken so long! The manga is mostly about Shigaraki at the moment, but I want to get another chapter or two out with what little of Class A that they're showing. This chapter is mostly my plot with the ending of the school festival at the beginning. Hope you all enjoy it! And for those supporters of the "Miruku" ship (thank you flowerangel502 for the ship name) there's a lovely surprise at the bottom. Let me know what you all think ;)


I picked at the bandages on my arm and around my neck, eyeing the path before me. What a pain. I finally get released from the hospital and Recovery Girl demands I get more iron supplements. It's the cultural festival, woman! Can't I take a moment to enjoy… myself? I blinked at the two abandoned grocery bags on the cement in front of me, something in my mind clicking.

"Ah, I forgot," I muttered, rubbing my facial scar.

Midoriya is dealing with… uh… Gentle? Yeah, him. Poor guy. Feel bad for him. Wonder if there's anything I can do. I changed, wincing slightly as my still-healing body ached, but grabbing the grocery bags in my talons and flying up into the sky as a Harpy Eagle. Now, where… ah, found them.

"Oi, getting into trouble already, Midoriya?" I questioned, dropping his things in front of him and landing on his shoulder.

"H-Hotaru! You're out of the hospital!"

I gave Hound Dog and Ectoplasm a look. "Don't be hard on them, yeah?"

"Eh?" Hound Dog grumbled and I shrugged.

"Not like he's a bad guy. Just a little misguided."

Ectoplasm hummed. "We'll put in a good word." He nodded and Hound Dog took the two away as he eyed us. "All Might was worried. Class A starts at 10 am, right? It's 9:16."

"Well, it's a good thing I found your stuff while getting more iron supplements, huh?" I mused, giving Midoriya a look and changing again into a small Sugar Glider. "Would you mind dropping me off with Mirio?"

He nodded, scooping up his bags and bowing in thanks to Ectoplasm before bolting back to the festival. We went our separate ways and I enjoyed the concert from Mirio's shoulder, along with the rest of the festival. I had to admit though, it was amusing to see Midoriya's face when he found out Eri was going to be taken care of by U.A. Then, we were sent back to the dorms under the claims that we'd be getting visitors.

"Achoo!"

All eyes went to Tokoyami as he rubbed his beak.

"Catch a cold? Everything all right?" Uraraka asked as I passed him a tissue and a cup of tea.

"No. I'm healthy. Mucus was just acting up."

"You're being mentioned in a conversation, aren't you?" Kaminari hummed. "You must have gotten a fan! You're just like Yaoyorozu!"

"Don't poke fun at him for it! It's something to be grateful for," Yaoyorozu complained.

"Tokoyami-kun especially would have fans, wouldn't he? After all, he interned at Hawks' place."

"Ugh," I groaned. "Don't even mention that bird brain to me. Tokoyami, get him to stop texting me. My phone's been going off non-stop after all the crap that's been happening. I still can't believe you gave him my number."

"I can't control him. I doubt anyone can, though isn't it a bit too early for fans?"

The door opened and Iida ushered everyone to greet our guests, but I just settled down on the couch with my tea and a book just as the group burst in.

"Locking on with sparkling eyes!"

"Here to lend in a helping paw!"

"Coming out of nowhere!"

"Stringing cute and catty!"

"We're the Wild Wild Pussycats!"

"Pussycats! It's been a while!" Iida called out with a bow.

"You all look well, my little kitties!"

"Don't call us that," I complained as Bakugou grumbled as well and tried to leave.

"We came to celebrate her reinstatement," Pixie Bob explained, gesturing to Ragdoll.

Someone I had no way of helping… I turned my gaze back to my cup.

"Reinstatement! Congratulations!"

"Ragdoll, you've returned? Weren't you on a break from active duty after getting your Quirk stolen?"

"I'm not returning. I'm going to be supporting the three of them as an office lady."

I stood up, dropping off my cup in the sink and heading for my room, not feeling Midoriya's eyes on my back. Things are just going to get worse from here. I can't do anything about Hawks and Endeavor—they won't listen, and Hawks is… I sagged against the door, bringing a hand up to rub at the scar on my face. And I'm running out of information too. I know I talk a big game, but the series was ongoing. I only know there's some competition between Class A and B. After that? I tipped my head back, allowing it to knock against the wood behind me. What am I going to do? I flinched when someone knocked on my door, resisting before reluctantly opening it.

"Midoriya?"

"H-Hey, um, Hotaru. Y-You're not staying for the celebration?" He stuttered out, plastering a forced smile on his face.

That's not what he wants to ask. I sighed softly, stepping away from the door and allowing him in. "Sorry. I'm just… not really feeling it right now, is all."

His smile faltered and I winced, being sure to turn away so I wouldn't have to see the expression I'd put on his face.

"Hotaru, is something wrong?" He asked, closing the door behind him. "I-I… I said you could talk to me if there was, remember?"

You wouldn't understand.

"I know I don't have a Quirk like yours, so I-I might not understand it completely, but… I'm worried, Hotaru. A-And I want to help in any way I can, even if it means just listening."

God, you're too damn nice. Don't you see? Don't you see how naïve you are? How easily real-life problems just slip on by you and the others? You're all here celebrating when the rest of the country is panicking about the League of Villains and the new top hero. You're here asking me if I'm okay when I'm losing sight of everything that's supposed to happen. My foreknowledge is running out and people are going to die expecting me to save them. My teeth ground together, sending an ache up my jaw as my hand fisted on the desk and I clenched my eyes shut. H-How could you possibly be worried about me right now?

"Hota—"

"You should go, Midoriya," I cut him off, grateful that my voice was steadier than I felt.

He grabbed my wrist though, turning me to face him with a serious frown. "I'm not leaving you, not when you're like this."

"Midoriya, I'm fin—"

"You're not fine!" He shouted, silencing me.

It wasn't often that he was this serious, much less yelling. He seemed to realize this and lowered his voice, but only slightly as I stood stiffly in front of him in shock.

"I… I just want to help."

I sagged a bit in his grip, guilt trying to drown me for having pushed him away so many times when all he wanted to do was be kind.

"Please," he murmured, so softly I almost thought I imagined it and the hurt in his voice.

I opened my mouth, trying to tell him another excuse, get him to leave before all those walls I'd built up came crumbling down, but it wasn't working. My eyes began to burn with tears and my mouth slowly closed as I bowed my head and brought my free hand up to it with a shaky breath.

"I-I'm scared," I finally admitted. "I-I-I don't know what to do."

I couldn't see his expression as I shrank away from him, sitting on the edge of my bed and not even realizing he still held my hand until his grip tightened and arms wrapped around my back.

"I… I'm sorry," he murmured, unsure what to say as I struggled to rein in some of the emotions that were dripping steadily through my fingers. "I… I'm scared too. A-About All Might and the whole… League of Villains and… and… um…"

Something must have possessed me in that moment, because my arms wrapped around him as well, silencing him from having to find something to say. And we spent that moment slowly accepting that things weren't going to get better, not just yet. Things were going to be hard, harder than ever, and we were the lucky ones. We stood a chance of getting out of the oncoming war between heroes and villains alive.


Midoriya sat at the kitchen table in a bit of a daze, staring at the miso soup in his hand and his spoon resting in his other not moving anywhere near the bowl. He couldn't stop thinking about Hotaru and what had happened the previous evening. He hadn't known what to think when she'd suddenly crumbled and cried in front of him like that. He still didn't. It made him feel almost ridiculous. He'd always thought of her as unwavering and strong in everything, but she was just as human as the rest of them. She might act mature, however, wasn't she dealing with so much more than the average middle schooler? With her Quirk where she could predict the future, surely she was having a harder time than even some of the pros.

He was still uncertain about that though. All Quirks have limits and it didn't seem right that her limit was just that she could only predict his future. Why his specifically? And what activated her Quirk? How did it work? There was no way it was just her thinking "what happens next?" and suddenly having the answers. It felt… wrong somehow and the way she acted… it was like she already knew somehow.

He pushed the thought away, finishing his soup in one gulp and lifting his chopsticks to stuff down his rice as he thought. Her teary eyes came back to his mind then, making him wince and slow down in his eating. She… She's having a really hard time and… she's pushing us away. He didn't want to think that maybe she was actively trying to. Hotaru seemed to really care about their class and the people in it. He was just worried that she was holding so much back (for their safety?) that unconsciously she was steadily isolating herself from them. It made him anxious. What did it mean when someone so strong suddenly couldn't be?

It made him think of All Might, and he soon lost his appetite, setting down his rice and begrudgingly excusing himself from the table—allowing Kaminari to take his leftovers since the eager redhead never seemed to get full when it came to breakfast. He started to head back to his room, a little lost as to what to do since it was a rare day off school, but he paused outside a door. Her door.

He hadn't seen her down at breakfast and that gnawing sensation began to roll in his gut once more. It was… embarrassing, really, how he'd started to find himself thinking about Hotaru more and more. She was just involved in so many aspects of what was happening… Or so he told himself. He knew it was an excuse. If it was just that, then surely he wouldn't have been fumbling so much around her. He wouldn't have been turning to go down hallways between classes to avoid her or ensuring that he sat at a nearly full table at lunch, so she wasn't sitting too close.

It was silly, really. He didn't quite understand why he was doing what he was doing. There was no real reason to avoid her, but every time he got close, his stomach would lurch into his throat and his stuttering would get worse. He wondered if she'd noticed. He didn't want to put distance between them, but it felt like ever since he'd found out about her new Quirk, he hadn't been as close with her as he used to. Their morning spars had tapered off and then stopped completely with the whole incident with Chisaki. And as much as he didn't want to admit it, she did a little more than worry him lately.

This new Quirk made her intimidating. It was one thing to think she was just really smart, but to know she knew possibly his entire future with a look? It scared him and he wasn't sure how to face her about it. He wouldn't tell her, but he'd actually spoken with Mirio about the whole incident, unsure how she'd respond if he'd asked her. He didn't expect to be told that Mirio and Hotaru had broken off what little relationship they'd had at the festival they attended with Eri. It wasn't a big surprise. Mirio telling him upright had been more of a surprise than anything. He hadn't asked, after all. Yet, the smiling ex-hero seemed to be hiding something from him. Like he knew something Midoriya didn't know about himself.

Thing is, he asked Mirio about how he could continue to be so friendly with Hotaru after knowing that she knew everything that happened and was going to happen. Not that he wouldn't be able to continue being her friend, but Midoriya wasn't sure what to make of these new emotions swirling in him when he felt Hotaru's eyes on him. Fear, embarrassment, unease and… joy. Mirio didn't tell him much but did explain that Hotaru was struggling with her Quirk more than anyone. She felt responsible for everything she could, and for a lot of things she shouldn't. He didn't know how that felt. He'd probably never know what it felt to have that sort of weight pressing down on his shoulders every day, every hour, every second.

He'd made his decision after that. He didn't want her to feel alone. He never wanted to see her as upset, broken down and beaten as he did last night. He let out a soft sigh and reached out to knock on her door, only for it to swing open before he could. Hotaru stood there, mildly surprised at his presence, but eyes rimmed with dark bags and only the slightest hint of pink lining them betraying her crying earlier. Midoriya, feeling his stomach lurch, fumbled through explaining what he'd been about to do.

"A-Ah, um… M-Morning, Hotaru!"

She blinked, exhausted-looking and he already knew she wasn't a big morning person. "Morning," she murmured, waiting for him to move, but he hesitated.

Just say it! "W-Would you, um… D-D-Do you want to have lunch with me!"

Her brows furrowed, creased in confusion as Midoriya shifted his weight back and forth on his feet uneasily, pink tinting his cheeks as he turned his gaze to the right—as far away from her as he could manage without being rude.

"I… I guess?" She answered, pulling out her phone and frowning down at it as she realized what time it was. "Sorry. I, uh… I thought it was earlier. Is breakfast already over?"

Midoriya nodded, but chewed his lip for a second, rubbing the back of his head. God, why is this so hard! "Y-Yeah. B-B-But there's some rice still in the cooker a-and eggs and, um—"

Hotaru grunted, letting him get out a soft sigh of relief. He never noticed before how she always seemed to know when to cut in to prevent him from being more embarrassed than he already was. His flush darkened, only to yelp when a hard shoulder rammed into him—Bakugou lifting his lip in a scowl.

"Move it, Deku! You're blocking the hall!"

"S-Sorry!" Midoriya squeaked out at his glare—Bakugou's red eyes sliding over to Hotaru with a scoff.

"Stupid mutt. Breakfast is over, idiot."

"Thanks for the heads up, Baka-gou," Hotaru drawled, making him bristle and his hands spark dangerously.

"What did you say!"

"A-Ah! N-Nothing!" Midoriya hastily intervened, stepping between them and holding his hands up with a nervous smile. "S-She's just tired is all."

Bakugou clicked his tongue in annoyance, simmering down as he made for the elevator with his hands stuffed back into his pockets once more. Midoriya let out a sigh of relief then jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. Hotaru released him hesitantly, giving him a glance.

"Thanks, Midoriya. I'll, uh… see you at one?"

His face lit up, nodding with a bright grin and not even realizing how pink Hotaru had gotten in return.


W-What is he thinking! I mentally wailed, brows furrowed and eyes aimed up at the ceiling in a daze as I idly sipped at my morning tea in the common room. Is this… No. There's no way it's a date. He's not like Mirio. Not as forward. But after last night… I tipped my head back, knocking it on the back of the sofa with a grumble of complaint. I hadn't meant to break down like that. Damn him for being so supportive and… cute. I groaned again, running a hand over my face.

"Um, is everything all right, Hotaru?"

I peered through my fingers over at Uraraka and a few of the other girls who I hadn't realized had gathered. All right? He's supposed to like you! I leaned forward, dropping my chin into my hand and having more tea, still not entirely awake.

"What would be good to wear to go out to lunch?" I asked, not expecting the reaction I got.

Ashido, Uraraka, and Yaoyorozu were immediately in my face, making me lurch back in shock.

"You're going on a date?" Ashido squealed.

"A-Ah, um, I-I don't really—"

"With who! Who!"

My gaze shifted briefly to Uraraka, catching what I thought might have been a hint of concern. God, they're really going to make me say it, aren't they? I don't want to hurt Uraraka, but… I think we're a bit past that now.

"I-It's not a date. At least, I don't think it is," I tried to explain, face cherry red and knowing that I wasn't exactly convincing them. "M-Midoriya and I are just going to grab a bite to eat."

I didn't miss Uraraka's flinch, but surprisingly enough, she continued to smile and looked to Yaoyorozu.

"We've got to help her find something to wear!"

"W-What!" I yelped, getting hauled to my feet as Jiro sighed and took my tea before it could be spilled.

"You've done it now, Hotaru."

"Done what!" I questioned, getting tugged towards the elevator by the girls as the few boys sill in the common room watched in curiosity.

"Asked for help," Yaoyorozu replied, startling me with a soft smile.

"Yeah!" Ashido beamed, throwing a fist up in the air repeatedly in her excitement. "We've been wanting to dress you up for ages!"

"N-Not that we're going to force you into anything you don't want to wear," Toru added, her gloved fingers being pressed together anxiously as we all slipped into the elevator.

"Look. I-I just wasn't sure what to wear," I argued, holding my hands up in surrender. "A-A full makeover isn't really necessary."

"Nonsense!" Yaoyorozu declared. "You're always wearing pajamas when we're not in school. It's about time you spiced up your wardrobe, and I've got plenty of things for you to try. I can always make some too if you don't like them."

"I-I'm not always—"

"Hotaru, you've worn the same grey sweats and t-shirt for almost a week," Jiro cut in, making me flush.

"I-I haven't! I just… have multiple of the same sweats," I murmured, earning raised brows from the group before giving in. "You guys aren't going to let me go until I find something to wear, are you?"

"Nope!" Ashido chirped, making me sigh as we headed for Yaoyorozu's room.

I sat on her bed as the girls began to dig through her closet and Jiro stood beside me, arms folded over her chest watching them. Her gaze drifted to me as I ran a hand through my tousled brown hair that undoubtedly needed a trim.

"So, why Midoriya?"

I jerked, my head snapping up to eye her in surprise before looking away with red cheeks. "It's not a date," I grumbled. "He just invited me to lunch since I missed breakfast."

"Uh-huh, and he also followed you last night when you left after the Pussy Cats showed up, and now you're sleeping in?"

"We just… talked," I muttered, glad that Jiro was at east tactful enough to keep her voice down so the others wouldn't hear.

"We're not blind, you know," Jiro said quietly, not being argumentative, just letting me know. "You've been stressed for a while now. We've all been worried."

"Sorry. I… I just…" I looked down at my hands, unsure of what to say.

"It's fine," she silenced me, cracking a small smile and nodding to the others as they picked out clothes. "This is their way of trying to help. We know you're not exactly the forthcoming type. Maybe that's why you and Midoriya work so well together."

I sighed, knowing that telling her again that it wasn't a date would be pointless. "He just… so stupidly kind and naïve. I don't know what to do with him."

She cracked a smile. "Well, if you ever need to complain about him and the other boys, we'll listen. I was actually betting on you and Bakugou if I'm being honest."

I wrinkled my nose. "Bakugou? Why?"

She shrugged. "You seem the only one able to deal with him, is all. Momo thought maybe Tokoyami."

I blinked. "But he's a bird… How would that even work?"

Jiro snorted before laughing, shoving at my shoulder. "I didn't even think of that!"

"Hold on, girls. We've forgotten something," Yaoyorozu declared suddenly, making me look to them in confusion before she smiled at me. "We need to start with her hair, or we'll never get the right clothes."

"Hold on, my hair?" I questioned, tugging on a brown strand that had fallen toward my eyes. "I mean, it's a bit longer than I'd like, but—"

"Exactly! Jiro?"

Jiro rolled her eyes, giving me a look as Yaoyorozu made scissors and a trimmer for her.

"Wait, you can cut hair?" I blinked in surprise as a chair was also made and a barber's bib, myself moving to sit in the seat as Jiro nodded.

"I thought about doing hairstyling as a kid and my parents were willing to let me take lessons even though they wanted me pursuing a music career later. Any idea what you want?"

I thought about it for a second before an idea came to mind and smirked. "Let's do something crazy."

The other girls grinned as well, and I wondered how surprised the others would be when they saw what I looked like by the end of this venture.


I fidgeted uneasily, suddenly feeling silly for the dramatic hairstyle change and the clothes that Yaoyorozu had given me. I checked my phone and winced. It was one o'clock. Midoriya would be waiting. I couldn't drag this out any longer. I fingered the light purple-dyed strands now sticking up on my head and bit my lip. Why did I choose to do this now? I sighed heavily before inhaling deeply and straightening my back, attempting to gather all my confidence to step out of my room and act as though nothing had changed. It was a lie, a terrible one. I was embarrassed and scared to death as to why Midoriya decided to have this impromptu luncheon. But that didn't mean I had to show it.

I moved into the common room, resisting the urge to pick at the loose cream sweater that hung off my shoulder to show off the black scoop-necked shirt underneath. It was odd being so… bright when I was used to such darker colors like black and grey and blue. Needless to say, the others were surprised as well—Mineta's drink slowly dribbling down his chin as he gaped in shock. Kirishima was the first to recover, smiling brightly.

"Hotaru! You look cool!"

I gave him a look. "You think everything looks cool, Kirishima."

"Yeah, but you're like… extra cool now!"

I rolled my eyes, lifting a leg to scratch the back of my calf with my foot at the base of my loose grey calf-length pants. I really owe it to Yaoyorozu and the others though. These clothes are super comfy.

"You guys seen Midoriya?"

"He's outside," Kaminari replied as Mineta narrowed his eyes, having recovered from the initial shock.

"You two goin' somewhere?"

"Yeah, lunch. I missed breakfast and he offered to take me out to get something," I shrugged, hoping to play it off but Mineta wasn't one to just ignore something serious like that.

"What! You're going out on a date?"

I winced, wishing I could hide the light flushing of my cheeks. "It's not a date."

Mineta wasn't convinced. "Heh, yeah right. A guy inviting a girl to lunch is definitely—"

His mouth was covered by Ashido, who beamed at me and waved with the other girls who'd helped me earlier.

"Have a good time, Hota-chan!"

My brow twitched, but I begrudgingly ignore the nickname since she'd shut Mineta up. Not that she was the type to listen anyway. I stepped out and startled Midoriya, whose mouth dropped open in surprise at my new look.

"Let's go," I muttered, grabbing his hand and pulling him along behind me to get as far away from the dorm as I could before the others made their way outside to tease us both.

I finally let him go once we reached the street, allowing myself a moment to relax now that we were far, far away from the others. With our pace slowed, I realized I had no idea where Midoriya wanted to go and turned to him.

"Where are we going for lunch?"

"A-Ah! Um, I didn't… I-I didn't really think of that," he muttered, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"It's fine," I hastily said, not wanting him to be a hot mess since it was apparently obvious that he did this as a spur of the moment thing. "I know a good place."

I led the way and he hurried to catch up to my side before falling into pace with me. We were quiet for a minute before he spoke.

"You, um… Y-You look nice."

"I…" I bit my lip for a second. "Thanks. The others made me dress up, but I thought my hair needed a change… It's not… It's not too… odd?"

"No!" He said quickly, waving his hands frantically. "It's just… different is all. It looks nice. Really! It looks… cute."

His words made both of us look away with awkwardly red cheeks as we approached the small restaurant and slipped inside. We'd grown quiet once more, ordering food and settling down at a table until I couldn't stand it any longer.

"Is this about last night?"

"What?"

I looked to Midoriya tiredly. "This whole… lunch thing. Is this about yesterday? Because I never meant to… you know. I was tired and stressed and—"

"I didn't do it because of that," Midoriya cut me off, wringing his hands across the way from me. "I just thought you might want to have some time to… not think about it. Or, I guess, maybe… talk about it?"

I raised a brow. "You do know those are exact opposites of each other."

Our food was brought over then, and we thanked the waitress and started to eat. God, why not? He already knows anyway.

"I'm losing my foreknowledge."

He choked on his noodles, hitting his chest a few times as I continued eating calmly until he was finished. "What!"

"My knowledge of the future only goes so far, then it just… stops," I explained, looking at him as he grew serious and listened quietly, frowning down at his food. "I guess I was just a bit stressed because of that. Sorry."

He shook his head. "No, don't be sorry. I might not understand what that feels like, but… it must be hard."

"I'm more worried how others are going to take it," I muttered, dropping an udon noodle with a grimace as it fell into the soup with a splash. "People might still get hurt or worse, and… and they might expect me to be able to do something when I don't know anything. I… Initially, I didn't want anyone knowing about it. Now, I regret not keeping it under wraps for longer."

"But you saved people! Sir Nighteye, Ingenium, a-and Eri too!"

"Yeah, but…" I sighed. "Now, people are going to depend on me more, expect me to fix their problems when I just… I can't."

Midoriya sagged a bit, pondering what I'd said as I tried to keep eating.

"You… You remind me of All Might."

I shot Midoriya a disbelieving look of surprise. As much as I didn't care for the overexaggerating blond hero, I knew Midoriya cared for him a lot. Him saying I reminded him of All Might was something almost… scary.

"It's just that… You both carry such a big burden and people look up to you to help save them, but… you can't save everyone. No one can save everyone, not even a top pro hero like him, or someone with knowledge like you." Midoriya rubbed the back of his neck in uncertainty. "I… I was scared, at first, about your Quirk. When I found out, I thought… I thought maybe that's why you became friends with me o-or when you looked at me, maybe all you saw was the person I would be."

I shrank a little, having not even thought about what anyone would think after I explained to them my foreknowledge. Not in this way, anyhow. I was more afraid of people using me for my Quirk.

"I never thought…"

"No! I-It's okay!" Midoriya said quickly, catching onto my downturned mood. "I… It was stupid. Thinking that you wouldn't look at any of us as people…" He shook his head. "It was so stupid of me to think like that. You're kind, Hotaru, even if you might not look it o-or act like it sometimes. You always help us when we need it. I just think that you… you don't always know how to help yourself. That... That's why I wanted to take you out. To… To kind of help you see t-that I want to help you."

Goddamn him for being like this. I cracked a soft smile, surprising him. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Midoriya."

He flushed bright red and for once, I laughed about it. My feelings were obvious at this point—for me, anyway. I liked Midoriya, but I wasn't sure about telling him. He seemed the type to want to focus on hero training before everything else. A girl asking him out probably isn't even a thought in his head. I felt my smile falter and turned back to eating. We relaxed more after that, idly chatting away about heroes that I knew and didn't know. How school was going and about our classmates. We left the restaurant in a pleasant mood but slowed as we approached the dorm.

"You know, they're going to badger us for details the moment we step back inside," I grumbled, and he nodded in defeat.

"You're lucky. At least you have a chance of getting people to leave you alone."

"Are you kidding? The girls in our class are vicious!"

We both looked at one another and chuckled. It didn't honestly matter what our classmates thought now. I started for the door first but was surprised when Midoriya grabbed my hand to stop me.

"A-Ah, wait!"

I paused, face heating at the skin contact and trying to keep it unnoticeable. Midoriya hesitated, thinking through what he wanted to say before finally facing me seriously.

"Can we… do this again?"

I blinked, stunned. "Sorry, what?"

And the confidence was gone. "I-I mean… e-eating together! Having a-a…"

"A date?" I questioned before I could stop myself, drawing red into both our faces. "S-Sorry. Not… Not a date. Um…"

Midoriya shook his head then, tightening his grip. "I… No. No. That's what this was, wasn't it?"

W-What? I opened and closed my mouth for a minute as Midoriya covered his mouth with his hand in uncertainty, trying to hide his own red face.

"I-I've got hero stuff t-t-to worry about but, um… I-I've been thinking… A-A-About you, I mean. I-I don't know i-if you feel the same or anything. I-I just thought… M-Maybe we could, um…eat out sometimes? I-If that's okay with you! I-I don't want to force you i-i-if—"

"No, it's…" I bit my lip for a minute, glancing down at our hands before tightening my grip on his and looking back at him as seriously as I could with a tomato-red face. "I-I'd like that, I think. We could, um… spar together too, if you want. Like before."

He nodded, looking almost relieved at the slight change in topic. "Okay! That sounds great! Ah… W-What about the others?"

I glanced at the dorm and grimaced, turning back to him. "Say nothing?"

"Won't they find out?"

"Well, yeah. But wouldn't you rather them figure it out slowly instead of all of them going at us at once?"

"Oh…"

I chuckled at his expression before shaking my head, giving his hand one more squeeze before letting it go. "Wait for a few minutes after I head in. I'll try to fend them off for you."

He smiled a little. "Thanks."

"Idiot. I should be saying that."