I woke up with sore everything. I hadn't had to fight full out like that for a while and it didn't help that Bakugo was extremely strong. I pulled myself out of bed, trying to not disturb the cat that rested in my arms. I stood up and stretched, hearing a satisfying crack from my back. I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake myself up. I glanced over at my clock that told me it was 5:45 am. I groaned as I walked over to my dresser and pulled out a tank top and sweatpants. I got changed and pulled my hair back into a ponytail, pinning my bangs back as well. I grabbed my phone and headphones as I walked out to the kitchen to scrounge for food. Dad sat at the table, drinking his coffee, and looking over his lesson plans.

"Morning, Kiki," he said as he made a note in his planner.

"Morning, Dad," I responded, stifling a yawn.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

"Really well," I said as I pulled a granola bar out of the cupboard. "No nightmares, so that's a plus."

Dad hummed in agreement as I tore open the granola bar wrapper and began to eat it. I leaned against the counter as I ate the granola bar and Yuzuki jumped onto the counter and sniffed at my food, hoping to get a bite of it. I pushed his head away and finished my granola bar. I put food in both of the cats' bowls and put water in the water dishes. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. I would have to get going pretty quickly to make sure I was on time. I put my phone back in my pocket and went to my room to put my running shoes on. I tied the laces and stood back up, stretching a bit more. I walked back out to the front of the house.

"Dad, I'm heading out!" I called.

"Alright, be safe! I'll go grocery shopping while you two are on your run!"

I walked out of the house and waited by the tree between mine and Makoto's houses. He eventually walked out of his house and came over to me. He had his orange shirt on, which I assumed contributed to his good mood.

"Good morning, Koko!" he said, far too cheerfully for this early.

"Hey, Mako," I said, swiping through my music to find a good song.

"How are you on this fine morning?" he asked as he put an earbud in.

"Tired and sore," I responded with a laugh. "Bakugo did a number on me yesterday."

Makoto hummed in agreement as he looked for a song on his phone. We both found music to listen to and put both earbuds in.

"Short or long route today?" Makoto asked.

"Let's do the long route," I said. "It's earlier than usual so we have time. Besides, I don't think we'll be doing anything too strenuous after yesterday's training."

"You're probably right," Makoto responded. "Long route it is!"

The two of us jogged down the street and went on the long route we had set. It went through the park and ended at the beach. We didn't live very far from the beach, so a run to it was relatively short but still long enough to exert us. When we reached the beach, we stopped to rest for a few minutes. The sun rose over the ocean and the light reflected off the waves. I sat down in the sand as Makoto handed me his water bottle for me to take a sip out of. I gratefully accepted it and took a few drinks before handing it back to him. He sat down next to me and we took in the sound of the waves crashing on the shore. It was so peaceful, but when the sun rose all the way, we knew we had to head back home. We jogged back home and separated to our own houses to get ready. Dad's car wasn't in the driveway, so I assumed that he was still out getting groceries. I opened the front door and the cats innocently looked up at me from where they were standing on the kitchen table. I narrowed my eyes at the knocked over cup on the table with water spilling onto the floor.

"I can't leave you two alone, can I?" I sighed as I cleaned up the mess.

Once their mess had been cleaned up, I went and took my shower and got ready for school. Being impatient for my hair to dry all the way, I used my hairdryer so that I could finish getting ready. I heard Dad get home at some point and after I put my hair up into a half ponytail and made sure my bangs looked alright I went out to the kitchen to help him put groceries away.

"How was your run?" Dad asked as we put the groceries away.

"It was good," I responded, putting the cereal away. "We went to the beach and sat for a few minutes to watch the sunrise."

"That sounds nice," he said.

We continued with a few sentences here and there, but the majority of the morning was silent. It wasn't long until we were walking out the door to go to school. Makoto met us in the driveway and we got in the car and drove to school. Dad apparently had to drop us off a block away because he had heard from Hizashi that there were still a bunch of reporters in front of the school. They had been there for the past two days and they were only getting nosier the longer they were denied any interviews. The longer they were there, the more cautious we had to be with mine and Mako's relations to Dad. None of us wanted the reporters to figure that out, so we agreed to be dropped off a block away with only minimal complaining. Makoto and I grabbed our bags and got out of the car. We started walking down the sidewalk to get to school.

"Why can't the reporters just leave us alone?" I groaned as we turned the corner and saw all of the reporters.

"I apologize for my fame," Makoto said sarcastically.

I laughed but he had a point. Since his grandmother had a fortune and was the head of Uneri Co., Makoto was also on the media's radar. It wasn't a secret that he stood to inherit the fortune of his grandmother and he had eyes on him. Reporters staring at him like birds of prey waiting for a moment of weakness. Being his best friend meant speculations about the two of us in public. On multiple occasions, the media has mistaken us for a couple. We've tried telling them that we're not, but they still publish that story and we gave up on trying to tell them otherwise.

"Yeah," I responded with just as much sarcasm. "It's a real pain in the ass to be your best friend."

Makoto snorted as we kept walking. The reporters saw us and they immediately started to swarm us.

"You know," Makoto said. "We're on school grounds right now."

I looked up at him and saw the sly smile on his face. I let out a laugh as I nodded and gripped the strap on my bag a little tighter as reporters got closer.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he responded. "You can't shadow travel with me, but I can carry you right over them."

"I like the way you think, Mako," I said with a smile.

Immediately, Makoto picked me up bridal style and used his quirk to step on the gravitational plates and have us be just above the reporters. We avoided all of their questions and, as soon as we were beyond the gates, Makoto stepped down from his plates and onto solid ground. He set me down on the ground and I adjusted my skirt to make sure nothing was showing. Once I made sure everything was fine, I looked up at Makoto with a smile and we walked into school together. We walked straight to the teacher's lounge and, when we got inside, Hizashi and Dad were there to greet us.

"You survived the wolves," Dad said with a smirk.

"Mako used his quirk to just carry us right over their heads," I responded with a chuckle.

"Yeah," Makoto said. "Because we were technically already on UA's grounds even though it was the sidewalk. So it was perfectly legal for me to use it."

"Look at you all grown up and smart, little man!" Hizashi yelled as he slung an arm over Makoto's shoulders.

"Thanks, Hizashi," Makoto said with a soft smile.

The four of us continued talking before class started and eventually Nemuri, or Midnight, came and joined us. At some point, Dad had to go take care of the reporters and the reporters tried to enter the campus, setting off the security system. Dad came back to the teacher's lounge with a satisfied smile on his face. He always enjoyed it when reporters got denied when they're being annoyingly persistent. Makoto and I left the teacher's lounge first to go to the classroom. Most everyone was in there already, talking to their new friends.

"Hey, it's Keiko and Saeki!" Kirishima said, waving us over to them.

I glanced at Makoto and shrugged before walking over to him, Sero, Ashido, and Kaminari. I set my stuff down at my desk before standing up properly to talk to them.

"Hey, guys!" Makoto said with a wide grin.

I gave a little wave and a tiny smile. Kirishima and Ashido seemed very happy that I even acknowledged them, which took me by surprise. The six of us talked, well I listened while they all talked until it came time for us to all sit down. Dad stood at the front of the class and started talking when we had all got situated in our seats.

"Decent work on yesterday's combat training, guys," he said from the podium. "I saw the video feeds and went over each of your teams' results." He paused for a second. "Bakugo." The blond in question looked up at Dad and Midoriya seemed surprised. "You're talented, so don't sulk like a child about your losses, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," Bakugo grumbled.

"And, Midoriya," Dad said, singling him out. "I see that the only way you won the match was by messing up your arm again." There was a pause as Midoriya sunk a little lower in his seat. "Work harder," Dad told him firmly. "And don't give me the excuse that you don't have control over your quirk. That line's already getting old. You can't keep breaking your body while training here, but your quirk will be really useful if you can get a handle on it." From where I was sitting, I saw Midoriya's head lift up. "So show a little urgency, huh?"

"Right!" Midoriya said confidently.

"Let's get down to business," Dad said, addressing everyone. "Our first task will decide your future." I could almost feel everyone's nerves as they probably thought it was another quirk test. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about that too. "You all need to pick a class representative." The relief everyone felt when we heard it was just a normal school thing was palpable.

Immediately everyone started yelling about how much they wanted to be the class rep. Of course, if you're the rep that means more agencies are more likely to notice you and want you to join them so it was only natural that everyone was excited. I wasn't though. There was far too much yelling for my taste. Everyone finally shut up when Iida started talking.

"Silence, everyone! Please!" He yelled. Everyone was quiet as they all looked back at Iida. "The class representative's duty is to lead others." Duh. "That's not something just anyone can do." He had a point. "You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom." There goes my shot of being class rep, not that I really cared. "Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader." Not a bad idea.

"It's pretty obvious you want us to vote for you," everyone said in unison.

That did seem like what he was trying to do, but I think that he honestly wanted the best for our class, so I didn't dwell on that too much.

"Is this really the best idea," Kaminari asked.

"We've only known each other a few days," Asui started. "How do we know who we can trust?"

She had a point as well.

"Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves," Kirishima stated.

That did seem like the likely scenario.

"You're right," I said from my seat. Everyone's heads snapped toward me, shocked that I spoke up. Honestly, I was a little surprised too. "Most people will vote for themselves. That just means that whoever gets the most votes is truly fit to be class rep if people put their pride aside to vote for them."

Iida nodded at my statement and started talking again, taking everyone's attention off of me.

"It's the best way, right?" Iida asked Dad, who zipped up his sleeping bag so that he could take a nap.

"Do what you want," Dad told us. "Just decide before my nap's over."

He fell onto his side to fall asleep and I knew he'd be out for the rest of the class.

"Thank you for your trust!" Iida said.

About 20 minutes later everyone had cast their votes for class rep and the results were on the board. Unsurprisingly, I got zero votes. I had voted for Midoriya. He was smart and I thought he would be the best for the job. Makoto had one vote, but I doubted that it was from him. At the top of the board, Midoriya and Yaoyorozu had the highest number of votes. Midoriya had four and Yaoyorozu had two.

"How did I get four votes?!" Midoriya asked out loud.

"Okay, you idiots!" Bakugo exclaimed, standing up from his seat. "Who voted for him?!"

"What?" Sero asked. "Did you honestly think anyone was gonna vote for you?"

Bakugo did not like that response and started yelling at him. I groaned and put my head in my arms, looking to follow my dad's lead and take a nap. Once Bakugo was calmed down, Dad woke up, which was my cue to sit up. Midoriya and Yaoyorozu stood at the front of the class. Midoriya was shaking in his boots while Yaoyorozu looked as calm as ever.

"Alright," Dad started. "The class rep is Midoriya. Deputy is Yaoyorozu."

"R-really?" Midoriya asked, still shaking. "It's not a mistake?"

"How did this happen?" Yaoyorozu asked herself.

I put my head back in my arms as people started chattering about the results. I guess I dozed off because Makoto started shaking my shoulder lightly. I sat up and yawned, glaring at Makoto for disturbing me.

"It's time for lunch," he said, pointing his thumb toward the door.

Immediately, I stood up and was out the door after grabbing my wallet. Lunch Rush's food was definitely something I didn't mind waking up for. The cafeteria was crowded, which was irritating, but soon enough Makoto and I were able to get our food. Lunch Rush insisted that our food was free again, saying that he liked us more than the other students. This caused a few glares tossed in our direction from other students in line, but Makoto and I laughed it off. We got our food and sat down at a table, away from everyone.

"So," Makoto started, digging into his food. "Spill. Who did you vote for?"

I swallowed the food that was in my mouth before responding.

"I voted for Midoriya," I said. "I thought he'd do a good job, but after seeing how nervous he was, I'm not so sure." Makoto hummed in agreement as he took another bite of his food. "Who did you vote for?"

"I voted for Yaoyorozu," he said. "She's smart and I think she'll do a good job."

"I'm inclined to agree with you," I responded. "She really knows what she's doing."

The two of us stopped talking to enjoy our food more. It was only a few minutes before the intruder alarm went off.

"Warning: Level Three Security Breach. All students please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."

Everyone started to jump out of their seats and run to the halls. Makoto and I both got up and exited with everyone. When we got into the hall, everyone was jostling and it made it impossible to go anywhere.

"Mako!" I shouted as I tried to grip onto his hand.

"Koko!" he shouted back.

Our fingers barely brushed each other before he was ripped away by everyone trying to get out of the building. I was shoved to the ground by the jostling crowd of students and I started to feel a panic attack coming. Flashes of my parents appeared in front of me as people continued to jostle around. My chest tightened and I couldn't breathe, much less move. I covered my head as I tried to protect myself from everyone in the hallway. Tears started to prick my eyes and the sounds around me became muffled, the only sound I could hear clearly was my pounding heart. I didn't hear actual words when someone started yelling at everybody and they all calmed down. I was stuck on the ground. My eyes blank and looking forward as tears slowly fell down my face. I was somewhat pulled out of my attack when someone pulled me to my feet and walked me over to the side of the hallway. They tried talking to me, but their voice sounded like it was underwater and I couldn't focus on it. I still couldn't breathe even though everyone had left the hallway beside the person in front of me and one other.

"Keiko!"

I finally snapped out of it and saw the person who had helped me. Bakugo was gripping my arms tightly to keep me upright. I stared back at him, my eyes wide and my face looking terrified. I looked over his shoulder and saw Makoto standing behind him, looking worried. I shook my head and stood up all the way, wiping the tears away.

"What was that all about?" Bakugo asked, not harshly just in his usual 'Bakugo' way.

"It was a panic attack," I told him, still shaking a bit and starting to walk back to the cafeteria so that I could finish my food. I was really shaken up, but I also didn't want to make a big deal out of what happened in case Bakugo decided to make fun of me. "I'm not the greatest with crowds and jostling."

"You picked a lousy profession for that then," Bakugo snorted.

I heard Makoto smack Bakugo's arm in warning, but I started chuckling too. He had a point. What started out as a chuckle turned into an actual laugh.

"Are you okay?" Makoto asked, confused as to why I was laughing. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"I'm fine," I told him. "Bakugo's right." I saw Bakugo smirk on my left as Makoto caught up to us and started walking on my right. "If I wanted to be like most heroes I did pick a pretty lousy profession."

"What do you mean 'like most heroes'?" Bakugo asked, genuinely confused.

"I don't want to be in the public's eye," I told him. "It's not something that appeals to me."

Bakugo hummed in acknowledgment and we kept walking. I was glad he didn't ask any further questions about my panic attack, but the fact that he was still walking with us was a surprise. We got our stuff from the cafeteria and finished our food. Bakugo stayed with us the whole time and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy his company. Surprisingly, he was rather quiet with us, the three of us just enjoying some peace and quiet after the big panic. Bakugo and Mako told me that it was Iida that calmed everyone down by telling them that the "dangerous intruder" was just the press.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Bakugo asked me.

I looked up at him, surprised he cared about my wellbeing. Seeing the suppressed worry on his face made me want to reassure him. I gave him a genuine smile.

"I'm really alright, or I will be anyway," I told him. "Thanks for helping me and for caring."

"Tch," he scoffed. "I just don't want my rival to have anything hindering her to do her best."

"Rival?" I asked. He scoffed again as if to say 'duh' and I smiled again. "Sounds good to me."

Lunch ended soon after that conversation and we all headed back to the classroom. Everyone was sitting down except for Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, who were standing at the front of the class. I had my chin resting on my folded arms as I tried to stay awake enough to understand what was being said. I hooked my foot around Mako's as a form of comfort. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still shaken from my panic attack earlier and Mako knew so he kept my foot hooked around his under his chair.

"It's time, class rep," Yaoyorozu told Midoriya, who was still shaking in his boots. "Let's begin!"

"Um, okay," Midoriya started shakily. "So we need to figure out who the other class officers will be." There was a pause as he looked down a bit and calmed himself. "But first, there's something that I wanna say. I've thought a lot about this, and I think that Tenya Iida should be our class rep!" I lifted my head at this in surprise. Someone as set on becoming a hero as him throwing away this awesome opportunity? Weird. "He was able to capture everyone's attention and get us in line. So I believe he should be the one leading our class from now on."

There was silence in the classroom before Kirishima spoke up.

"Yeah, you know what?" he started. "If Midoriya vouches for him, I'm good. Plus he was a big help. He totally manned up and took charge, right?"

"Yup!" Kaminari agreed. "Oh, and did you notice he looked like the dude on the emergency exit signs when he was on the wall earlier?"

Dad interrupted everyone in his typical fashion.

"This is a waste of time," he said, sitting up in his sleeping bag. "I don't care who the rep is, just hurry up."

He laid back down on his side to go to sleep as Iida stood up to talk. This might actually be a good change.

"If Midoriya is nominating me for this job," he started. "Then I humbly accept! I pledge to carry out the duties of class rep to the best of my abilities!"

"Sounds good, emergency exit," Kirishima said, giving him a thumbs up.

"Emergency exit IIda," Kaminari mused. "Don't let us down man!"

Poor Yaoyorozu sulked, probably muttering about how she got more votes than him. In all honesty, I thought that she would have made an awesome class rep too, but it seemed everyone was voting for Iida now. The end of the day came quickly and Mako and I didn't hang around for too long before heading to the teacher's lounge to meet up with Dad and go home.

"Keiko," Dad called as soon as we walked into the lounge. He rushed up to me and looked me over to make sure I was alright. He inspected my face, holding it firmly so I couldn't squirm away. "I heard about what happened, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad," I said, trying to pull my face out of his hands. "Did Mako tell you?"

Dad let go and stood back, satisfied that I wasn't injured. He shook his head before answering my question.

"No, actually," he said. "Bakugo came up to me and said he thought he should tell me because I'm the teacher and it's my job to deal with stuff like that."

Mako and I looked at each other before turning back to Dad. Bakugo was really that concerned? I could not figure him out for the life of me. I had originally thought that he was just an overconfident asshole who didn't care about others, but I guess that, deep down, he really does care.

"Oh," was all I said in response. "I'm fine though. I was just shaken up a bit."

Dad dropped the conversation and took Mako and I home, the three of us exhausted to varying degrees.

A/N: Hello again! Sticks here! Again, I did not mean to take as long of a break as I did, but alas: school. I'm hoping to write some more this week and next to get this story moving along and caught up to what I have planned so far. I'm hoping we'll be done with season one by the middle of February but we'll see what happens with school and such. It's my final semester at community college before transferring to uni so that will come first but I swear I'll update a bit more regularly. I hope that everyone reading this has a wonderful rest of your day, week, and year! See you all next chapter!

-Sticks

Word Count: 4286