A/N: I hope you all had Happy Holidays and/or Merry Christmases. If I was smart, I would have started posting these chapters sooner so the Christmas chapter lined up with Christmas, lol. Oh well! I hope you enjoy!

How to Regret

Tuesday - 3 Days Until Christmas

Roan hadn't responded to any of her texts or phone calls since their fight. Mina hadn't been able to sleep. She'd cried in her bedroom for what felt like hours, feeling more alone than ever before. In the end, Ochaco had come over, having heard her cries from her own room. Mina fumbled out the story of their argument, through tears and snot. Ochaco listened, like she always did, then offered to stay the night. Mina declined, mostly because she knew she'd keep her up all night with her crying.

Even though the contract was void and Roan claimed he didn't want to see her again, she still woke up long before breakfast. Still worked in the kitchen—maybe even harder than she'd worked before. Still carefully filled the compartments of a bento box, hoping that he'd take it.

"Would you like help this morning?" Todoroki asked, as he examined her craftsmanship.

"No," she said, with the best smile she could manage. "I need to do this myself."

He nodded in understanding and left her to put together a lunch on her own.

Thirty minutes later, she was waiting around the corner of the Class 1-J dorm, where she and Roan met in the mornings for the bento exchange. Minutes ticked by. She kept looking at her phone to check the time, refusing to give up even ten minutes after the time he would have normally met her.

Please… Roan…

The air seemed colder this December morning, or maybe it was something else. Maybe the chill she felt came from inside as much as outside. Her body felt robbed of warmth that she hadn't realized was there in the first place. It was as though a small flame, that had been flickering warmly in her chest for the past two weeks—that had been growing and flourishing one day at a time—had been unceremoniously snuffed. Now, all that was left was a frigid cold that nipped deeper than even Todoroki's ice.

But the knowledge that made her shiver and truly sent her heart into a deep-freeze… was the fact that this was all her fault.

Her teeth were starting to chatter when she heard footsteps. For a brief, unfair moment, she was sure it was Roan. But then, someone else walked around the corner, white hair slicked to the side and a bored expression on his face.

It was just Hideshiro.

His eyes widened when he saw her standing there. "My, isn't this a surprise? Did your mountainous boyfriend stand you up, Ashido?"

If her chest really was frozen, then his words were like an icepick straight to her heart.

She tried to smile—tried to put on that exterior that put everyone at ease, but… She couldn't do it. Her face fell, the bento box shook in her trembling hands, and she said, "He's not my boyfriend, Hideshiro."

"Oh?" The boy walked up to her with an expression of feigned sympathy. "Did he break up with you? I tried to warn you that he's nothing but a beast, you know."

She shook her head. She thought she might cry again, but it was like she didn't even have the emotional energy for it. "He was never my boyfriend. It was all a big hoax. We were trying to trick people."

This time, his expression was sincere. He looked shocked. Then, he scowled. "I shouldn't be surprised. The thought of that social mutant having a girlfriend was too unbelievable."

"Why do you pick on him so much?" she asked.

He blinked at her, before narrowing his eyes and looking away with what almost resembled a pout. "Because he's a toxic fungus on our class. Someone has to put him in his place."

"But he's never hurt anyone or gotten in anyone's way, right?"

"Well… no, but…" Hideshiro closed his eyes and sighed.

"I was honest with you," Mina said, quietly. "It's your turn."

The boy sighed before crossing his arms over his chest and looking at her again. "The truth… Fine." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I come from wealth. My parents, and grandparents, and so on have all been lawyers. I'm expected to follow in their footsteps, to present myself a certain way, to play the game just right. And before you say anything, yes, yes, I know I'm complaining about my privileged life from a golden pedestal, and it's 'cliché and lame' as Fujinari would say, but…"

Mina listened. She hadn't expected her morning to go like this at all. A random heart-to-heart with Roan's bully? Too weird to put much thought into.

"Fujinari has never cared about impressing anyone," he continued. "He says, or refuses to say, whatever he wants. He sasses authority, daydreams, and spends his time as he wishes. Even though his parents work for the school and their reputation is dependent upon him, it still hardly halts him from being who he truly is, down to his dark, mangled up core."

Mina let his words sink in. He was right. Roan was unapologetically himself. His mumbling, reclusive, flower-adoring self. While Mina was always living a double-life, pretending to be someone she wasn't—Roan was honest to a fault. That was one of the things that drew her to him, that made him so amazing. Roan was… just Roan. And that was what she liked most of all.

The corner of Hideshiro's lips turned up in a smile. "I'm envious of him. In truth, I actually like him a lot. His sarcastic remarks to Ectoplasm are entertaining, and his marketing projects always captivate me."

"You're mean to him… because you like him?" Mina raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it make more sense to just be his friend?"

He laughed at this, but it sounded bitter. "You and I both know that Roan Fujinari doesn't have friends."

It was exactly what Roan had said to her last night. The words carried as much of a blow now as they did then. She shuddered and lost her grip on the bento box, watching in horror as it plummeted toward the ground.

Deft hands grabbed it before it smashed on the pavement, however. Hideshiro lifted it up and cast her a worried look.

"Sorry," she whispered.

He smiled, sympathetically, before opening his backpack and putting the bento box inside.

"Hey!"

"I'll give it to him," he said, as he straightened up. "And if he won't take it, then I'll enjoy it myself. Wouldn't want your cooking skills to go to waste."

She considered it for a moment. Part of her wanted to stubbornly wait here until Roan showed up, even though breakfast was already half over and classes would be starting soon.

"In return," Hideshiro added, as he pulled out his phone, "I want your phone number."

"Ew, sorry but I'm not into you like that." She made a face at the prospect.

"I know," his eyes twinkled, "girls like the tall guys, am I right?"

She felt heat touch her cheeks.

"It's not for anything unsavory," he promised. "It's so that I can return this box if Fujinari refuses to take it. And also… well, you're weird and have extremely questionable taste—particularly regarding your favorite animal—but I wouldn't mind being your friend."

She smiled, then put her hands on her hips. "I'll be your friend on one condition! You have to try to be Roan's friend, too!"

He made a face of disgust. "And be seen with the social mutant? That would tarnish my reputation!"

"Promise!"

He sighed, then chuckled and nodded. "Deal."

Mina shook her head. "On second thought, no more deals or contracts. I'll be your friend. I just hope you make an effort with Roan, too." With this, she input her number into Hideshiro's phone and put her own phone away. "Please, make sure he gets the lunch, kay?"

"If all else fails, I'll lay a trap that can only be deactivated once he eats the contents." He winked.

She smiled back, then bid him goodbye with a wave.

She wished she could have given Roan the lunchbox herself, but… she didn't have another option.

What can I do to make this better?

When the lunch bell rang, Roan went straight to the dorms. He ignored the way Hideshiro was staring at him, with that smug look in his eyes that suggested he knew Roan was suffering and he was grateful for it. He ignored Ectoplasm calling out and asking him to stay after class. He ignored everything and everyone, deciding that he couldn't take it anymore. He'd stay in his room the rest of the day and claim to be sick. He couldn't be around people another moment.

I hate people.

He wished they were all robots. Or better yet, that they didn't exist at all. In a post-apocalyptic world where there were no liars, manipulators, cheats, or bullies. In a world without parents, teachers, jerks, or friends. One without Hideshiro and without Mina.

He lamented his life as he walked toward the 1-J dorms. It was strange… He thought he'd be happier once he was out of that stupid contract and away from that girl. Life was back to normal, the way he liked it. And yet… he was miserable.

It's because my survey didn't get the exposure I wanted, he reasoned. There was no other explanation as to why he would be feeling so awful.

Then again… He thought of Mina's face, the moment he accused her of lying to him. Her pale, tear-streaked cheeks, the despair in her black eyes. That made him feel even worse.

He opened the door to the common area, intent to slink down the hall to his room and bury his face in his pillow for the next several hours. He did not expect to be greeted with the sight of a woman waiting in the living room, perched on the edge of the couch with her legs crossed and heeled-foot swinging impatiently, hands clasped around her knee, and dark eyes latched on his.

Rika Fujinari.

"I somehow knew you'd try to sneak off to your room," she said, her voice condescending. Her dark-blue hair was pulled back into a tight bun today, her lips a thin line. He knew his mother well enough to know what this meant. She was furious.

But Roan was furious, too. So, he ignored her and started for his room, refusing to meet her demanding stare. He didn't make it far, though. As soon as he was within range, she stood and stepped in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest.

For a moment, he was a child, cowering under the weight of a gaze that could kill. Even though they were the same height now, he still felt himself recoil slightly.

"I watched the interview," she said, voice cold and hard.

"Obviously," he said.

Her eyes narrowed further. "Care to explain?"

"You won't believe me, even if I do tell you," he shrugged. "So, there's no point."

"Hm." She considered this while her eyes tore him to the bone. "That's true. I won't believe you." Then, she held out her hand.

He stared at her outstretched fingers with incredulity before meeting her gaze again. "You're not serious."

"Give it to me."

His jaw clenched and teeth gritted together. "No."

"You can have it back at the start of the next term. If you manage to not get expelled."

"I'm not a kid anymore," he seethed.

"Now."

He cursed under his breath, threw his bag loudly on the ground, and fished out his cellphone. He smacked it into her open palm, but she kept her hand out. "What now?" he asked, rage building inside of him.

Her fingers flexed, speaking for her.

Then, realization dawned on him. "No. You can't do that!" He raised his voice louder than normal, which gave it a hoarse edge.

"I'm your mother, so you'll find that I can."

"I'm going to talk to Dad about this," he warned. "He'll know you're acting crazy."

"I've already discussed the appropriate consequences with your father, Roan. Don't make this more difficult than it has to be, or your computer is next."

"I need my computer to do my project," he argued.

"You could always use the school library," she countered, smoothly.

He stared at her, anger and disbelief coloring his face. At long last, he bent back down to his school bag, pulled out his wallet, and slammed it into her hand.

She rifled through its contents, pulled out only his student ID, and handed the ID back to him. Then, she deposited his wallet and phone in her purse. "You'll have no allowance until the start of the term. Again, dependent upon your status as a student at this school."

He clenched his hands into fists.

"Don't be dramatic, Roan. You live in a dorm. You're not required to pay rent or pay for your own food. This hardly counts as punishment."

"...not fair," he mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"I said it's not fair!" His voice was a shout, which took her by surprise. Her eyes widened and she instinctively leaned back away from him. Something inside of him was snapping, something that had been wound tighter and tighter for the past two weeks until the strain of last night had made it start to fray. Now, this moment made the string finally break. "I'm sick of trying to live up to your expectations! I'm not some tool that you can control, I'm not a bargaining chip for you people to use when you want something! I feel things, too! I feel disappointment, and frustration, and worthlessness, and hurt, just like everyone else! I didn't ask to be in this situation, I didn't want to let you down, I didn't know all of this would happen, okay? All I wanted… was to pass my class…"

He was shaking now, and for an instant, he thought he might cry. He felt a strange stinging in his eyes that made his nose crinkle, but he simply wiped his nose and willed it away.

"Roan…" his mother's voice was gentle now. "Son… What happened to you?"

He hung his head. "Doesn't matter." He picked up his bag and pushed past her.

"Roan, wait! Maybe we should talk about this!"

"No. You didn't give me a chance to explain myself before, so why now? Because you feel sorry for me?" He scoffed. "Go to hell."

He expected her to scold him or try to appeal to him again, but she didn't. She simply watched him as he turned the corner and walked down the hall toward his dorm room.

Hypocrite, he said to himself. You didn't give Mina a chance to explain herself, either. You jumped to conclusions, just like her.

"I hate this…" He couldn't stand these feelings. Betrayal. Disappointment. Anger. Guilt. Heartache.

He stopped at the end of the hall in front of his door. His eye crept down the wood frame and onto the tiles. There was something sitting there, pushed up against his door. Black and carved with ornate gold tendrils that reminded him of Mina's eyes. The bento box.

How did this get here?

He leaned down and picked it up. He brought it into his bedroom and sat it down next to the box of chocolates, then untied the string around it. He was surprised when a small card fluttered to the floor. He picked it up, turned it over in his hand and read the words there.

You were right about everything. I'm sorry I used you and sorry I hurt you. - Mina.

He felt a weird twist in his chest. He pushed the note aside and opened the bento box. His eyes widened when he saw the contents. Everything she'd put inside, from the bread, to the ham, to the fruit, to the rice… All of it had been shaped into flowers.

Flowers… He held his hand out and used his quirk to grow pink daisies on his desk, all around the lunchbox. Flowers always make me feel better. Mina knew that, and had taken the time to consider it when she put this together for him. The realization was bittersweet.

"I don't care," he whispered.

But this time, he knew he was lying to himself.

The school day was over, and still no sign of Roan. As stupid as it was, she had still clung onto a sliver of hope that he would be there after school waiting to walk her home.

"What did you expect, Mina?" she asked herself as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

He'd told her that her plan would blow up in her face. And it had. And… she'd lost a friend in the process.

She understood now that Roan had never seen her as a friend in the first place. How could he? Their entire "friendship" had been based on a selfish contract. On lies.

I'm so sorry.

She flipped through apps on her phone, then read through her text thread with him again and again. She saw his website link in one of the messages.

I've never even opened it, she realized. His website that he'd put so much time and heart into. She couldn't even have been bothered to explore it.

Curiosity drove her to tap on the link. The website opened up in her browser.

It was sleek and professional, looking nothing like what most teenagers would probably scrap together in their spare time. The menu linked to a blog, which surprised her. She'd never pegged him as the writing type. Then again, she'd never asked him many questions about his likes and hobbies either.

She checked out his most recent posts. The first was an in-depth analysis of Robotic Dawn, which she remembered was the book that had been on his bed when she came over on Saturday. She scanned lazily through it, noting how passionately and thoroughly he addressed the sci-fi romance novel.

It was too boring and used way too many big words, so she scrolled down to the second most-recent article. Seven Reasons Not to Date.

She started to read, though something inside of her thought that maybe it wasn't her best idea.

"I don't mean to mantle the role of the skeptic here… Actually, yes I do. The truth is, statistically speaking, your relationship is going to fail. The younger you are, the higher the chance of this. Let's look at this objectively. Remove your pesky human yearnings and evolutionary drive to reproduce, and you'll discover quickly that there's simply no point in committing to a long term relationship. Imagine, inviting another self-centered, destructive, random, and unpredictable flesh-sac into your innermost sanctum. If you shuddered just now—I know I did—then this is the article for you."

He went on to list out all the reasons dating someone would be the most atrocious thing imaginable. The points he made—losing privacy in places that were supposed to be sacred, eating meals together, unwarranted touching—it all sounded familiar. And, even though she and Roan were never dating for real, the article felt like salt on an open wound.

He really hates me that much, huh?

Her hand flopped onto the mattress and she dropped her phone.

"I hate this."

There was a knock on her door, followed by Ochaco poking her head inside. "Hey, Mina? Can I come in?"

She sat up, wiped a stray tear, and nodded. "Come on in, buddy. I was just about to crack open some ice cream and watch a sad rom-com, you in?"

Ochaco stepped inside, shut the door, and vigorously shook her head. "No! There's no time for that!"

Mina blinked at her. Her big eyes were set with determination, fists clenched. "Whoa, where's the fire?"

"No fire," Ochaco said. Then, she held up her cellphone. "I have an idea!"