How to Make Amends

Roan was staring longingly at his computer screen. His browser was open to an online shopping site, his cart holding the preorder for Robotic Noon. Thanks to his mother, he wouldn't be able to buy it. Or the new backpack he was looking at for the start of the next term, or anything else for that matter.

I hate this.

His father had tried to call him twice after the school day ended, but he ignored him. He knew the man's heart was in a good place, and he was ten times more tolerable than his mother, but he also naturally gave everyone he talked to a psych evaluation without realizing it. Roan didn't need him digging into his thoughts and feelings right now. He wanted to sort them out alone.

The sun had set outside, so now his room was lit only by the glow of the computer screen. He clicked on his website, bitterness touching him again as he noted the stagnant questionnaire count. It didn't matter. He'd have to work with what he had. He only had three nights now to compile the results, study them, and fill in the meat of his essay. He knew he should be working on it now, but… He was too emotionally drained. He didn't even want to play video games.

Maybe I should just go to sleep.

It was still early, but suddenly the allure of his bed was stronger than ever. Maybe, if he slept long enough, everything would feel like a bad dream. The Uwabami interview, his fight with Mina, the way he'd yelled at his mom… The more space he could put between himself and those events, the better.

He stood up to flop onto his bed when someone knocked on his door.

Whoever it was could get lost in the forest and freeze for all he cared. His mom had already done enough damage, he was ignoring his dad, and no one else was important enough to waste his time on. Not when he wanted to be alone.

What if it's Mina?

The unwarranted thought made him feel sick. So, what if it was Mina? What was he going to do? Apologize to her for automatically accusing her of lying? Even if she had been telling the truth, she'd still been using him this whole time and he didn't want to be a part of that anymore.

But she apologized.

"Will you shut up?" he said to himself as he dropped onto his bed.

There was another knock on his door, louder this time.

He pulled his pillow over his head to block out the sound. Leave me alone. I don't want you. I don't want anyone.

"You may want to hear this, Fujinari!" Hideshiro's voice called out through the door.

He definitely wasn't opening it now.

"Alright, then!" the boy said loudly. "Guess I won't give you this handwritten apology from Uwabami. Bummer for you. You might have been able to convince your parents that you're not a total loser if you showed them this."

Roan stood up and opened the door, just a sliver. Enough for Hideshiro to hand him whatever note he was talking about.

In an instant, however, the other boy was pushing himself inside.

"Get out of my room," Roan hissed.

"As much as I'd love nothing more than that, I'm afraid I made a promise." He shut the door behind him and pressed his body against it to prevent Roan from forcibly shoving him out.

"Go away," Roan commanded, as he stepped closer to tower over him.

"Aren't you the least bit curious about how I even know about your pathetic desperation for exposure?"

Roan narrowed his eyes, but then realized that Hideshiro was right. He shouldn't know anything about that. "You've been spying on me," he stated. "What's wrong with you? Can't you just leave me alone? Hate me all you want but do you have to harass me, too?"

Hideshiro made a face, the expression unreadable. "I don't hate you, Fujinari. I just can't stand you."

"Did Mina tell you about my project?"

Now, the signature smirk returned to Hideshiro's features. In the half-light of the computer glow, it looked sinister. "She told me everything, Fujinari. Every sordid detail of your embarrassing contract, and all the times you've made her cry."

"Why?" Roan felt nauseous, suddenly. He'd hurt Mina's feelings, so she got cuddly with his bully? A flash of heat flushed through his body. Anger derived from something else.

"Relax, you overgrown beanstalk." Hideshiro sighed. "I've no interest in your princess. I think you however, should have an interest in the news I bring."

"I don't want to play your games, Hideshiro."

"No games!" He held his hands up. "Only generosity."

He scoffed, but then took a step back, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the other boy.

"Ah, see. Even giant beasts can be reasonable sometimes." Hideshiro moved and sat down in Roan's computer chair, immediately resting his hand on the mouse and opening a new browser tab.

"What are you doing?" Roan snatched his wrist. Hideshiro simply dropped the mouse and plucked it back up with his other hand to continue whatever he was doing.

"I'm warning you, Hideshiro… I will make you leave."

"I have no doubt you could beat me in a fight, Fujinari. I'd rather not get physical with you." He pulled his wrist away and started to type in the search bar.

Roan watched, chest tight with anger and suspicion. He narrowed his eyes when Hideshiro brought up a call-in line with… Mt. Lady?

"What is—"

Hideshiro held up a hand to silence him, then pressed play on the live feed and turned up the volume. He glanced at the clock on the computer, then nodded as if satisfied at the time.

"Hi, caller~" Mt. Lady chirped. "What's your name and question?"

There was rustling on the other end of the line, followed by a girl's voice—a voice that Roan recognized.

"Hey, Mt. Lady~ You can just call me Pinky! I'm super excited to talk to you!"

"...Mina?" Roan whispered.

"So… there's this boy…"

Mt. Lady gasped. "Oh my goodness, I was hoping I'd get to give love advice today! Who is this boy? A crush? A boyfriend?"

Roan suddenly understood what was happening here. He scowled, then shoved Hideshiro out of the way and closed the browser.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Hideshiro's eyes narrowed.

"You came here to mock me," he accused.

"What the hell, Fujinari? What gives you that impression?"

"Mina told you about the contract, which means she told you about her crush on Kirishima. And now you want to make me listen to her fawn over him in a live phone call, because making me suffer is your favorite pastime."

"You've got the wrong idea," Hideshiro scoffed. "Well, not about my favorite pastime. And ignoring the fact that you practically admitted to me just now that you're jealous of your competition, I'm telling you that you'll want to hear this call."

Roan grimaced, but let Hideshiro open the live show again.

"...and I really hurt him…" Mina was saying.

"That's so sad!" Mt. Lady exclaimed.

"Yeah… I want to make it up to him somehow. Christmas is on Friday and… well, it's the couple's holiday, you know? It's supposed to be a day of happiness. But, thanks to me, he'll probably be suffering alone."

Roan crossed his arms over his chest. Was he supposed to be moved by this heartfelt confession? It was too cringey. And yet… he found himself clinging to her every word.

"Pinky, listen. Don't be so hard on yourself. I can tell that you really care about him, and I know he can feel that, too. I'm sure that wherever he is, he feels just as heartbroken over your fight as you do. The good thing is, you guys can definitely make up and spend Christmas together! You have to believe in that!"

"Maybe…" Mina sighed.

"Can you tell me what went wrong?" Mt. Lady asked.

"Yeah… See, he was really excited about this project he was working on, and he had a way for everyone in Japan to hear about it! But… I ruined his chances. I'm the worst, right?"

"No way, girl! Accidents happen and life doesn't always go your way! It's kind of like… Well, when I'm in my quirk-form, I can do amazing, powerful things! But I also stumble around a lot and, honestly, I wreck a lot of things. But the important part is standing up straight and fixing the damage you've done, right?"

"How can I fix this?" Mina asked.

"I think I can help with that~ Just tell me about this project of his! There are people all over Japan listening right now! Maybe your cute little loverboy is listening too!"

"Wait, you mean you'll really shout-out his project?"

"What can I say? I'm moved by the love you have for each other! So, out with it!"

Roan stared slack-jawed at the screen. This was Mina's plan all along? When did she come up with this? Was this real?

He pushed Hideshiro away and clicked on his website while the phone call continued to play in the background. Mina provided his website information on air, and Mt. Lady praised her for being so brave.

"I hope you're listening, loverboy!" Mt. Lady declared, straight to Roan. "Be a good boy and make up with Pinky for me~ Everyone else, check out his website! I'll even participate, just for you, Pinky!"

Roan watched… And then it happened. Slowly at first, but then in batches. The numbers climbing and multiplying right before his eyes. Website hits, completed questionnaires, comments on his blog…

"Mt. Lady sent me here!"

"Omg pinky's story was so cute, I hope you make up with her!"

"You guys are made for each other don't mess this up"

He slumped against the desk, unable to fully process what had just happened. His heart was pounding, adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Hideshiro stood up and stretched. "I'd say my work here is done." He yawned dramatically. "But for the record, you owe me one, Fujinari."

"...you…" Roan mumbled, his voice a shaky whisper.

"Hm? No one can hear you when you mumble, you know."

"Thank you," he repeated.

Hideshiro cleared his throat. "W-Well. Someone taught you manners, after all. Though, I'm not the one you should be thanking."

Roan heard him walk out and shut the door behind him.

He's right.

His eyes were glued to the ever-changing screen. The words started to blur and for a moment he thought his website was malfunctioning due to the influx of activity. But then, he realized, the blur was from his own, wet eyes.

Thank you, Mina.

Wednesday - 2 Days Until Christmas

Mina hadn't received the bento box back from Roan or Hideshiro, so she had no way to put together a lunch in the morning. Not without asking Todoroki if she could borrow another lunch box, and she didn't want to admit to him that he might never get the first one back.

Even without the prepared lunch, Mina still walked to his dorm and waited. Hoping… praying that he would come out and greet her. She'd seen the way his website had blown up overnight. It was selfish but… she'd hoped the call with Mt. Lady would make up for Uwabami's interview.

It had been Ochaco's idea. She was there when Yaoyorozu gave her the news that Uwabami had canceled the shout-out. And even though Mina had lied to her and betrayed her friendship for the sake of an elaborate plan to steal away someone's boyfriend, Ochaco still wanted to be there for her. She'd wanted to help her, despite everything.

It had also required the help of Hideshiro, of course. Mina wasn't sure how he would react when she called him and begged him to make Roan listen to the phone call. He'd been surprisingly sporting, however. "Any excuse to get under Fujinari's skin," he'd said. "I'm sure I can find a way to make this entertaining."

But Mina still had no idea if the plan had worked. She'd only gotten a vague response from Hideshiro when she texted him afterward. "You owe me one, princess. I almost got beaten to a pulp."

She hoped that meant Roan had listened. She hoped he would walk around the corner at any moment and forgive her. She hoped, but…

Time ticked on. It became apparent, fifteen minutes after the breakfast hour had already started, that he wasn't going to meet with her.

This is what I deserve.

Still, she waited. Until the five-minute bell rang for class. At last, with an ache in her chest, she abandoned her post.

Well… at least he got the exposure he wanted. I'm happy for him.

Now, if only she could be happy for herself, too.

By lunch, there was still no sign nor word of Roan anywhere. Hideshiro texted her once to tell her that Roan was 'apparently sick and not attending classes today.' So, either he was still upset, or he was busy working on his project with the large influx of questionnaire responses. Either way, he clearly didn't want to see Mina, since he hadn't made himself seen, nor texted her since their fight.

She sighed when she sat at the lunch table with Ochaco, Hagakure, Todoroki, and Aisla.

"Any news?" Ochaco asked, eyes brimming with concern.

"Nope!" Mina smiled, but then closed her eyes and let out another, long sigh before slouching dramatically on the table. "He totally hates me!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Hagakure asked.

"Oh, nothing," Mina pouted. "Just the boy who hates me."

"I'm sure he doesn't hate you," Ochaco tried to comfort her.

"I don't think anyone could hate you, Ashido," Aisla added, sweetly.

"That's nice of you guys, but I know I messed up." She sat up straight and donned a sad smile.

"OMG, is this about the call-in show with Mt. Lady?" Hagakure slammed her hands on the table, which startled everyone there because they couldn't see it happening. "That was you, right? I knew it! Does that mean you and your boyfriend are fighting? What happened?! You were so cute together!"

"It was the poorly wrapped sushi, wasn't it?" Todoroki asked, his expression looking genuinely sad.

"No, Todoroki, your sushi skills were on point," Mina laughed.

"Good."

"Did he break up with you?" Hagakure asked.

"Well… not exactly…"

Suddenly, Ochaco nudged her.

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

Ochaco and Todoroki were both looking at something beyond her. She followed their lines of sight. Then, her stomach flipped and a tremble went through her body.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Aisla asked.

Mina didn't even hear her question. There, in the bright sunlight from the cafeteria window, which made his eyes look like they were sparking with electricity, was Roan Fujinari. And those charged eyes were locked onto her as if there was no one else in the whole world. As if the bustling cafeteria didn't even exist. He was as out of place in the crowded room as a flower blooming on a sidewalk. Roan… acknowledging her in public? In a place that he usually avoided at all costs? It was a dream, it had to be.

Yet, there he was, as real and clear as her own reflection.

"He's so hot," Hagakure whispered.

"You can't say that about someone else's boyfriend," Aisla chided.

"At least he's not hotheaded," Todoroki commented, with a teasing glance at the blonde. Clearly referring to her infatuation with a particular live grenade.

"I think he might want you to go with him," Ochaco said in Mina's ear.

Sure enough, Roan made a 'come-hither' gesture with his finger that made another shudder ricochet through her body.

"You should go," Ochaco advised.

"Y-Yeah." Mina stood up, but suddenly felt like her legs were stuck down by Cementoss's quirk.

"Hey, you alright, Ashido?"

She recognized Kirishima's voice as he was passing by with his lunch tray. But, for once, it didn't shake her to the core and demand her attention. It wasn't the thunderclap it had been for the past month. In fact, she couldn't even turn her head to look at him, because if she did, she was afraid Roan would slip between her fingers and disappear like the yokai he was always mentioning. Instead of drawing her to him, Kirishima's voice prompted her to take action, unfreezing her limbs the moment Roan turned and started for the cafeteria doors.

She chased after him, ignoring Kirishima's question and the stunned faces of her friends.

Kirishima arched an eyebrow as she ran out the door. "Is she sick or something?"

"Or something," Ochaco, Hagakure, Todoroki, and Aisla all chimed in unison.

By the time Mina caught up, Roan was already crossing the tree line into the forest. She knew exactly where he was headed, and slowed to his pace to walk the rest of the way to the gazebo.

"Hey!" she greeted, heart pounding violently in her chest.

He gave her a side glance. "You came," he stated. "For a moment I thought you'd stay with the redhead."

For some reason, being called out on the topic made her blush. "He can wait," she said.

Roan nodded, but then that was it. He didn't say another word to her the entire walk, or even after they'd sat down on the wooden benches and the wind started to rustle the trees and their hair.

The silence was killing her. She'd never felt more anxious, more uncertain than in that moment. She didn't know what he wanted. Obviously, since he'd brought her out here, there was something he wanted to say. But was it good or bad? Did he hate her? Did he forgive her?

"Roan, I'm—"

He held a hand up to silence her. "Don't. I don't want to do that."

She blinked at him. "Do… what?"

"The cliché back and forth apologizing thing," he grumbled, barely audible in the cold breeze that threatened to snatch his words away.

Did that mean he was apologizing too?

"Are you… mad at me?" she asked.

He gave her a strange look that she couldn't decipher. Perplexed? Incredulous, maybe? Finally, he shook his head. "No."

"Really? But you've been ignoring my texts and—"

"...mom took… phone.."

"Your mom took your phone away?!" She stared at him in shock. "But why?!"

"Doesn't matter."

"Okay…" She bit her lip, nervously, not sure where to go from here. She thought that when she spoke to him again—if she spoke to him again—the conversation would be full of apologies and explanations and confessions of… well, she wasn't sure what exactly. But she didn't expect everything to just stop like this.

"Thank you."

His words filled the quiet space around them. They were simple. Absolute. And he was looking at her when he said them, yellow eyes unwavering as the sincerity escaped from his lips.

The weight of his pure gaze made guilt crush down on her. "Don't thank me. I was just… trying to make up for failing you before. Y'know, for the Uwabami interview."

He studied her for a long moment. "You… more than made up for it," he admitted. "And…" at last he broke his gaze and looked into the forest, color touching his cheeks. "If not for you, I wouldn't have had two dozen questionnaire responses, let alone two thousand."

"Two thousand?!" She gasped. "Seriously?! From that one phone call?!"

He nodded, the corner of his lip twitching in a smile. "Mt. Lady is a rising star, popular with younger people who spend more time on the internet. She gets tens of thousands of views on her videos, at the minimum. It was… very advantageous that you spoke to her. And…" he cleared his throat, "your brokenhearted girlfriend story was very convincing."

She grinned, warmth filling her chest at his praise. "That's such a relief! I thought I ruined everything for you!"

He shook his head again. "You saved me."

Now, the warmth was alive with the sensation of fluttering feathers. She blushed and looked down at her hands. "Roan… can I ask you something?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, then gave a barely perceptible nod in response.

"Can we start over? Can we… be friends for real this time? I know you said you don't have friends, but… I really like you, and I like spending time with you, and I… don't want stop talking to you about all the weird things you're into, and sitting out here with you listening to music and looking at flowers, and there are so many questions I want to ask you and things I want to know about you, and I just…" She let out a heavy breath. "I want to be your friend, Roan!"

His eyes were wide, his lips twisted as an undoubtable blush spread across his cheeks. He hung his head, masking the telling reaction with his hair. Then, after a long moment, he shook his head.

"No."

Mina deflated. Her heart, which had been feeling like it was high above the clouds, now felt as though it had plummeted hard into the concrete and shattered. She wasn't sure why she'd gotten her hopes up. After everything she'd done to him…

"I can't be your friend and fake boyfriend at the same time," he said, surprising her.

She blinked at him, not understanding. "What do you mean? You said it yourself, the contract is broken. And I'm not going to keep taking advantage of you, so—"

He held up his hand. "You followed through on your end of the deal. As a businessman, it's my job to follow through on mine. The Christmas party is in two days, right?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"And you still want to make the redhead notice you, right?"

His words felt strange to her, as if they were registering in a disjointed part of her mind. She did still want Kirishima to notice her, didn't she? That was what she'd been obsessed with for so long. "R-Right," she said, though the word felt wrong in some way, and she was measuring Roan's expression when she said it, as if his reaction would determine whether or not she took it back.

"I'll take you to the party, like I promised," he continued. "Then… depending on how badly you humiliate me, I might consider being your friend." There was a twinkle in his eyes when he said this, and a smirk set on his features.

"You want to go to the party with me?" Excitement coursed through her veins. "Really?"

He nodded, then stood. "But then that's it, Mina. No more manipulating people to get what you want."

It was weird to hear him lecturing her. Wasn't this the same boy who'd told her early on that he didn't care what people did in their personal lives? Maybe, after all this time, he'd started to care about her enough to want to look out for her. Or… maybe he just didn't want to be used like a tool in her schemes anymore.

"Okay," she nodded. "I promise."

"I mean it." He looked down at her, and something unreadable filled his eyes. "If the jock rejects you, then that's it. No more plans to win him over. You have to let it go."

She felt a strange rush of something shoot through her body at his words. Fear that Kirishima really would reject her, maybe? No… it didn't feel quite like fear. It was something else, but she couldn't name it. Not here and now. "I will," she affirmed.

He nodded in satisfaction, then picked up his bag.

"Wait! Are you leaving already?" She stood up too, suddenly desperate to have even a few more minutes with him.

"I have a project to work on. And if Ectoplasm sees me out here instead of in my room with the flu, I'll be doing homework for all of winter break."

"Oh." She pouted. "Kay, fine. Guess that means you won't be walking me home today?"

"No," he said. "But…" he dug in his bag and produced the black and gold bento box. "If you want to make me food tomorrow and Friday, then… I wouldn't be opposed."

She grinned, then bounced on her toes. She couldn't contain her hyper energy as she hopped over to him and plucked the box from his hands. It felt heavier than she remembered. Maybe it still had old, gross food from the other day. She really hoped he would have washed it, but there was no telling with this weirdo. "Can I stop by your dorm room in the morning then?" she asked.

"No." He made a face. "Not when all my classmates are getting ready for breakfast. Hideshiro is bad enough."

"Aw, c'mon!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Hideshiro's not that bad once you get to know him!"

"...fraternizing with… enemy…" he grumbled.

"I'll wait outside then, kay?" Her smile softened. "But you can't leave a girl hanging in the cold anymore, got it? You have to meet me outside and take the bento or I'm giving it to the enemy."

He scoffed, but then laughed. Mina had decided days ago that Roan's laugh was the best sound in the entire world. So, she laughed too. She laughed like everything was right again—better even, than it ever had been.

When it ended, he slid his strap back onto his shoulder, gave her a parting wave, and started back to the dorms.

Mina felt like the world was spinning, so she plopped back down onto the bench and closed her eyes to steady herself.

Roan… Roan… Roan…

His name was starting to feel as familiar as a lyric in a favorite song. Nostalgic, warm, exciting.

"Get it together, Mina!" She smacked her cheeks.

Two more days and she was going on her last big adventure with Roan Fujinari. A Christmas party scheme to get Kirishima to fall in love with her.

And honestly… it was the scheme that excited her more than the possible outcome. What did that mean?

She couldn't think about it too hard right now. Instead, she sat the bento box next to her and carefully lifted the lid, fully intending to dump whatever nasty contents were in there in the woods for wild animals to eat.

Then, all the winter chill in Japan seemed to melt away like marshmallows on hot-cocoa. Heat spread across her cheeks, to her ears, and through her entire body, eliciting the reaction of the hairs on her arms, the jittery feeling in her stomach, and the sudden stinging in her tear ducts.

The lunchbox wasn't full of old forgotten food at all. It had been properly cleaned and dried. But it wasn't empty either. Every compartment of the ornate bento box had been filled…

… with chocolates.

A/N: I know you just clutched your chest and said "aw."