A/N: Personally my favorite chapter, but I'm biased. ;) Trivia: It was this parallel scene in The Ribbon that made me decide to write The Contract!

How to Spend Christmas

Roan was cold, uncomfortable, and nauseous. He checked his watch for the tenth time in the past two minutes, his teeth gritted in irritation. When Mina said to meet her at the fountain at 6:00, he thought that meant "meet me at the fountain at 6:00," not "hang out awkwardly by the fountain getting stares from passersby until I decide to show up."

"That's it… going home."

He was just about to step away from the fountain when he finally saw her. She was approaching from the direction of her dorm, hands behind her back, wearing a red ball gown.

He tugged on the collar of his shirt, which suddenly felt too tight.

"Hey~" she sang as she walked up to him.

He forgot the right reply to this, and suddenly felt like he should be looking anywhere but at her.

"Wow…" she said, clearly having no reservations about staring at him. "You clean up nicely, Ro-Ro! Did you cut your hair? You look like a real human now!"

"So flattered," he said dryly.

"I mean it!" She giggled. "You're really handsome."

Her praise made him feel hot and stuffy in the suit. He cleared his throat.

"Well? Now you're supposed to compliment my dress!" She twirled and curtsied, her eyes shining brightly.

"You look…" his eyes traveled the sparkly gold fringe of the dress, noting how it seemed to bring out the glitter in her gold irises. "Red is not your color."

"That's so mean!" she huffed, cheeks turning the color of her dress.

"Be honest, you're only wearing that for the redhead, aren't you?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "So, what if I am? We're supposed to be making him jealous!"

That was why Roan couldn't give her a real compliment. The dress wasn't being worn for him. It was being worn to serve one purpose and one alone.

He sighed. "In that case…" He held his fingers over the pocket of his suit jacket and used his quirk to produce a red rose.

"Whoa!" She leaned over to sniff the flower, causing him to lean back in discomfort at the sudden closeness. "Hey, there's something I've always been curious about!"

"If it has anything to do with my body, then keep it to yourself."

"It doesn't! Okay, it kind of does." She cocked her head at him. "It's just, quirks are physical manifestations, right? Yet you seem to make flowers come out of thin air like magic! How do you do it?"

He scoffed and looked away.

"Pleeeease tell me~ I'm so curious!"

"You don't want to know," he said, feeling a blush on his cheeks.

"Please?! You know I'll like you no matter what!"

He sighed. If it would get her to shut up so they could proceed with the horrid party and get it over with, he'd answer. "I produce spores with my fingertips that cause flowers to instantly take root and rapidly grow."

She blinked. "Ew! Spores? That's so gross!"

"Says the girl whose skin spews acid." He rolled his eyes.

"What's the drawback of your quirk?" She asked, ignoring his comment.

"The drawback is that a pink-haired weirdo won't shut up about it."

"Come on, tell me!"

He shrugged. "I get a rash on my hands if I overuse it. That's all. It's just a minor quirk, no real applications or drawbacks."

She looked at him with a surprisingly soft smile. "Well, I think it's kind of amazing."

He wrinkled his nose, then closed his eyes for a long moment before jutting his hand out between them. He peeked through one eye to find Mina staring at him. "Well?" he snapped. "Are we completing the final terms of our contract or not?"

Her eyes widened. Then he felt the warmth of her fingers gliding over his palm before wrapping around his own. The contact made him shiver, hand instinctively jerking at the touch. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then gave her a tug in the direction of the gym. "...get this over with…"

He was acutely aware of the stares.

It was fine, at first, because there were only a few people still making their way to the party. The crowd was thin and no one cared to look at the hero-course student and her accompanying, tall-and-terrifying accessory. But then they walked through the gym doors, hand-in-hand, and everything changed.

Maybe it was just his imagination. He did have an overactive imagination, after all. But he swore they were all looking at them, whispering about them, snickering to themselves.

The music and talking were too loud, there were too many bright, blinking lights and disorienting sparkles, and there was so much motion that he felt like he was trapped underwater in a school of fish.

He froze, just a few steps inside the gym doors, not able to progress any further.

"Roan…" She squeezed his hand. "You gonna be okay, buddy?"

No, he thought. He was not going to be okay. He'd need days of complete solitude to recharge from this experience and it had been less than thirty seconds.

"Remember! It's in the contract! Get through tonight and all the terms will be satisfied!"

Right. This was business. If he looked at it like that, it wasn't so bad. He wasn't skulking into a party like a vampire being dragged by a beautiful, woodland fairy. He was simply doing business.

"Okay, we have to find him…" Mina stood on her toes, but she was too short to see over the crowd of people. Roan would have been amused if he wasn't still suffering the shock of stepping into the room.

Kirishima, his mind supplied, weakly. She's here for Kirishima.

It was easy for Roan to see over everyone here. It took him only a few moments to recognize spiky red hair near the Christmas tree at the back of the gym. He glanced down at Mina, who was stomping her foot in frustration like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

For an instant, he considered taking her off in another direction. "Sorry, doesn't look like he's here." Or, "Just saw him leave with his girlfriend." Roan wasn't sure why he considered this option. It was illogical. His goal should have been to get Mina to her crush as soon as possible so he could go home.

"...there," he mumbled.

"What?" She looked up at him. "Did you say something? I can't hear you over the noise!"

I should have stayed home and ate dinner with my parents instead. I'd take my abysmal mother over this any day.

He leaned closer, bringing his lips near her ear.

"H-Hey! What are you—"

He gripped her hand tighter so she couldn't flee. Then, he tried to raise the volume of his voice so she could hear him. "He's over there," he grumbled. "By the Christmas tree."

He straightened back up and cast her a confused look. Her cheeks were red and she was fanning her face. He wondered if she was starting to feel hot in her gown. It was shocking to go from the icy cold to the heated gym. But the dress didn't look like it would be warm. Her shoulders were completely bare, it dipped low on her back, and the slit on the side revealed most of her leg.

Now, Roan was starting to feel hot.

"Okay!" Mina loudly declared. "This is it, Ro-Ro! The true test! Let's go!"

He allowed her to pull him through the crowd, destination: Kirishima.

The other boy was scanning the sea of people, a look of yearning in his eyes so powerful that it was cringeworthy to look at. He was hoping for the sight of someone, waiting for her to make an appearance. But he's not looking for you, Mina.

Mina announced their presence with a question as they approached him. "Hey, whatcha thinking about?"

Kirishima looked disoriented for a moment as if he'd been shaken from a daydream. But then, his red eyes focused on Mina Ashido and a look of surprise settled on his features. He was appraising her—his eyes traveling up the length of the gown she wore, across her cleavage and to her fluttering, mascara-touched eyelashes.

Roan felt something stir deep in his stomach. He couldn't name it, or maybe he didn't want to. But he didn't like the feeling, and he didn't like Kirishima's wandering eyes.

"Oh, hey, Ashido!" The boy greeted. "You look really nice!"

Nice.

It was a safe word to use, and Roan wondered if he'd used it intentionally, reserving words like "beautiful" and "pretty" for his own girlfriend.

"Thanks!" She beamed. "Thought you'd be a fan~"

I'm going to vomit.

Kirishima's eyes moved to Roan next. He looked shocked, like he'd been too busy ogling at Mina to even notice the guy attached to her hand. His expression told Roan that he didn't recognize him—that it was the very first time Roan had even ventured into Kirishima's narrow field of vision. Roan wished he could say the same, but for him… Eijiro Kirishima was a near-constant visage in his thoughts these days. It didn't help that Mina rambled about him so much, but it was more than that. Ever since the day Roan met Noritake and watched Kirishima interact with him, and saw the hurt look on Mina's face as she longed for the spiky-haired jock, Roan thought about him almost constantly. He thought and pondered and compared.

"Kirishima, this is my date~" Mina introduced him. "Roan Fujinari. He's from the business course!"

"Date?"

Kirishima's expression changed, ever-so-slightly. He looked at Roan and Mina's hands, still clasped together. His gaze combed Roan over once more, this time searching.

Is he… jealous of me?

Roan hadn't thought it was possible. He was sure that this entire scheme was just a chase after a puff of smoke, that there wasn't even the slightest possibility Mina's plan would work. This guy had a girlfriend, after all, and he didn't stare at Mina in the hallways or when she wasn't looking. He didn't go out of his way to spend time with her. He didn't tolerate her random episodes of excitement or notice the times when she was depressed and only faking optimism. His eyes didn't gravitate toward her every time she was in the room. He didn't seem interested in her at all.

But what if Roan had been wrong? What if this childhood friend of hers really was opening his eyes to her for the first time and realizing how cute she was? How funny she could be when she quipped a witty remark, or how surprisingly elegantly she moved when she danced? Was it suddenly occurring to him that the girl he'd overlooked was charming, friendly, kind, and as stunning as a gold-dipped rose in the dress she wore?

And if he was realizing it, which suddenly seemed probable, then what did that mean for Roan and Mina? Would Kirishima dump his girlfriend after all? Would he start monopolizing Mina's time? Would there be no more after school walks to her dorm, no more listening to music in the gazebo, no more homemade bento boxes…?

"Yup!" Mina chimed in affirmation, hand squeezing Roan's tightly. "He's super hot, right? And reeeeally smart. He's top of his class!"

He almost scoffed. Hot? Top of his class? Roan was a lanky weirdo who ranked lowest in his class to the point of almost getting expelled. If she was going to try to show off with her fake boyfriend, couldn't she have at least chosen things that were true about him instead of total fabrications? Or was there just nothing about him that was worth bragging about?

"That's… cool." Kirishima scratched the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.

He is jealous, isn't he?

Even though it was all a sham and Roan was a fake boyfriend and Mina was bragging about fake attributes, he still felt something fierce bare it's claws within him. Was it… pride?

"Nice to meet you, man," the other boy continued, "my name's Eijiro Kirishima." He followed this with a respectful bow.

Mina gave Roan a meaningful look, trying to prompt him to return the greeting. But there wasn't a single cell in Roan's entire body that was willing to oblige. He didn't want to talk to Kirishima, he didn't want to be subjected to this misery any longer. He hated people, was never social in the first place, and this experience was both humiliating and insulting.

So, despite Mina's insistent tug on his hand, he refused to even acknowledge the greeting.

When Kirishima straightened up, his eyebrows narrowed, revealing that he'd taken offense to Roan's choice not to respond. Good.

As if Mina could feel the growing tension, she quickly spoke up. "Wouldn't it be rad if all of us went on a double date?"

Roan stiffened. Was she serious? She had to know that no bargaining chip or business transaction on earth would get him to agree to that, ever.

"It would be like the perfect dynamic! You and me and our shy little cuties!"

Kill me. Literally, this time.

There she went, mislabeling him as shy for the thousandth time. And "little cutie?" He was going straight to the bathroom after this to barf.

"Uh, sure…" Kirishima's tone said that he wasn't even remotely interested in this idea. "If the shy cuties are up for it."

He suddenly noticed that Mina's hand was starting to tremble in his own. He glanced at her to find desperation on her face, her lips parted as if she wanted to say more.

She really likes him.

Roan had gotten the impression over the past week that maybe Mina's crush wasn't as strong as she overdramatized it to be. But now, here, standing in front of the object of her affections, Roan was suddenly acutely aware of how he was a mere shadow in comparison to this boy. At least in Mina's mind.

Abruptly, Kirishima's expression changed. His eyes flicked away from Mina and Roan, locating someone in the crowd. The way his face instantly changed was so extreme that it was jarring. Light burst in his eyes, a smile spread across his cheeks, his skin took on a happy shade of red. His whole body seemed to shift, becoming vibrantly alive, containing as much energy as a bomb.

Roan's moment of thinking that the redhead was falling for Mina was instantly evaporated by the blinding light that emanated from Kirishima now. There was no room for romantic interest in the boy's heart. None except for the brimming feelings he clearly had for the girl whose name he called out like praise to a god.

"Hana! Over here!"

Mina's hand stopped shaking.

A girl approached them. "Eijiro!" She too said his name like something to be adored. "I'm sorry I'm late, I was…"

She stopped walking in front of them and let her eyes drift over Mina and Roan. Roan avoided eye contact but could tell that she was pretty with only a glance. He wondered… if Mina thought of herself as a shadow too, in comparison to this girl.

"Oh, good evening," the girl continued. She gave a small bow, but Roan again made the choice not to greet her back. He had no intention of talking to these people ever again. No point in niceties when he'd rather be freezing outside in the snow.

"Hey there!" Mina puffed out her chest as if facing a challenger. "I was just introducing Kirishima to my date, Roan Fujinari."

"It's very nice to meet you," the girl said.

Roan pointedly ignored this.

"H-Hana…" Kirishima spoke again. His body language was flustered, as he boldly combed over his girlfriend's body with his eyes. "You look… you're so…"

"Please don't say it," the girl mumbled.

Please don't, Roan silently agreed. The lovey-dovey scene unfolding before them was bound to be the tipping point for his unsettled stomach.

"I can't help it," Kirishima grinned. "You're so beautiful."

There was the difference. To Kirishima, Mina "looked nice," but Kanzashi was beautiful. She didn't "look" beautiful to him, it was all that she was. Her entire being was beautiful, irreplaceable, complete to him. And Mina? She was superficial in comparison.

Roan glanced at Mina again, a strange sense of concern settling inside of him. Seeing this had to hurt her. There was no way this was healthy for her self-esteem.

"You decided to go short tonight!" Kirishima touched Kanzashi's hair as if it was precious gold. "I love it."

This was the breaking point for Mina. She cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the intimate moment. "Well, Roan and I are going outside now. See you guys later."

She pulled Roan's hand harshly.

"Alright, later!" Kirishima said. "Take care of her, Fujinari! She can be quite a handful!"

"You have no idea." Roan had meant this as a thought, but it slipped out without permission, making Mina's grip on his hand tighten angrily.

She pulled him away from the starstruck lovers, to one of the walls of the gym where there weren't many people around. Then, at long last, she let go of his hand. Her body slumped against the wall, eyes closed and breaths measured.

"That was easily the most uncomfortable social experience of my entire life," Roan complained, leaning against the wall next to her.

"Yeah, you and me both."

There was silence between them.

"Well," she finally said, "you were right! My master plan blew up in my face, I got rejected, and it hurts. But I kinda knew that was gonna happen, right?"

Roan thought about what to say to this. A few days ago, he might have said "I told you so," or "that's what you get." But after seeing her look at Kirishima, and then watching her shrink to the size of an ant in front of Kanzashi… he didn't want to hurt her anymore.

"You know, I'm the reason her hair is short?" Mina said, quietly. "I asked her to make this dress for me. I wanted her to be late to the party, and I wanted her to be less pretty when she showed up."

Roan smirked. "You're a terrible person."

"I know," she said, her voice pained.

"Lucky for you," he continued, "I hate people."

"Aw, are you trying to comfort me, Ro-Ro?"

"Wait," he suddenly realized something, "you thought cutting her hair would make her less attractive? But you have short hair."

"Well, yeah! But no one likes a girl with short hair!"

"No one likes a tall freak, but here I am."

"Wow, you're just assuming that I like you?" She giggled.

"Don't you?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm hot and smart and top of my class. Who wouldn't like me?"

She laughed loudly at this, but then her expression shifted into something more serious. "I'm sorry," she said, "for making you out to be someone you're not, as if… the real you isn't enough."

He shrugged. "You're used to lying to make things sound better than they are. Hard habit to break, apparently."

"But… you are enough, Roan."

He stared at her. She looked just as startled by her own words as he was.

"...random," he mumbled, "...unpredictable…"

"Hey, you wanna dance?!" she asked, suddenly.

"Pass. And that was a violent transition."

"I can't mope forever, can I?!" She grabbed his hands. "Please dance with me?"

"No."

"Come on! I know you have other words in your vocabulary!"

"I won't dance," he said, leaving no room for argument, "but… if you want to dance, I'll wait for you."

"Seriously? You're not going to bail now that you failed in your mission to make Kirishima jealous?"

"My mission?"

She winked. "Will you watch me dance, at least?"

He sighed and looked at the ground. Where else would I look? he wondered, but he didn't say it aloud. "Fine, but don't take forever. And if anyone speaks to me, I'm gone."

She beamed brightly before skipping off to the dance floor.

He watched as she met with some of her friends, smiled widely, whispered into their ears. She was laughing, rosy-cheeked, looking genuinely happy.

She makes no sense. She spent the last two weeks pining over Kirishima to the point of depression, she sabotaged his girlfriend, and she looked genuinely desperate for his attention earlier. Yet, she's smiling and dancing like nothing happened.

Random. Unpredictable.

One minute it was crying, the next it was anger, and then it was joy. He'd seen her act cruelly, seen her hurt, seen her determined. She'd been a flighty airhead who selfishly disregarded those closest to her. But she'd also been a generous, thoughtful soul who woke up early to make lunches and tried to turn bullies into reluctant allies.

He didn't understand her.

I want to.

It felt the same as his love for marketing. He didn't understand the human hive-mind, didn't understand why they behaved like they did. But it was because he didn't understand that he was so desperate for more. More research, more results, a deeper understanding, a broader appreciation.

That was it. That was exactly how he felt about Mina Ashido.

He watched her dance. She looked ridiculous, pulling off hip-hop moves to upbeat Christmas songs in her ball gown, but it didn't seem to faze her in the slightest. She was the star of the dancefloor. And occasionally, her glittery gold eyes would glance over, just to make sure he was still watching her.

I'm not going anywhere, like it or not.

The music softened and couples took to each other's waists. Ugh, so lame and cliché. He was about to gesture at Mina for her to come over. Not to dance, but to give him permission to leave.

Then, he saw someone approach her. Short, dressed in a fancy white suit that probably cost as much as tuition, buttoned over a black turtleneck, white hair combed smoothly to the side, and brown eyes sparkling.

"Hideshiro," Roan growled.

He was chatting with Mina, completely at ease, looking even smugger than usual. Something he said made her laugh. Then, the little weasel's arm went around her waist as if he fully intended to dance with her.

Roan didn't even realize his legs were moving until he was right there, towering over the insufferable shrimp.

"Ah, hello, Fujinari. Nice of you to join us." Hideshiro smirked, not releasing Mina's waist. "And look! Someone trimmed your branches, you overgrown palm tree."

"Someone needs to trim your attitude, little shrub."

"Oooh, you're especially feisty tonight, Fujinari. Is it because I'm dancing with your princess?"

"Mina," Roan mumbled, "move so I can punch him in the teeth."

"You guys!" She put her hands on each of their chests to push them away from each other. "You don't need to fight over me! You can take turns dancing with me~"

"I don't want to dance with you," Roan snapped.

"I do," Hideshiro smirked. "The princess wants to dance! How can I, as a gentleman, deprive her?"

Roan held onto Mina's hand, keeping it pressed against his chest as he slowly, enunciating every word, said: "She's not your princess. Get. Lost."

Hideshiro's expression was knowing. He put his hands up and shrugged. "Alright! Wouldn't dream of crossing swords with you, Fujinari. I'm sure I can find someone else to be my partner."

Roan dragged Mina away, fuming the entire time.

"Wow, Ro-Ro~ Didn't know you could be so possessive."

"...not," he grumbled. "...just hate that guy."

"Come on, no you don't! You boys might not admit it, but I can tell you admire each other."

"You're blind or crazy."

"Where are you taking me, boyfriend?"

He scowled and dropped her hand, realizing suddenly that it was still clasped in his. Worse, that he'd been holding it to his chest like a prized possession.

"Not your boyfriend… and I can't stand this party for another second. I want to leave."

"Aw, already?" She pouted. "But we didn't even get to try the cake!"

He groaned. "Stay if you want. I'm done here."

"Wait, Roan!"

He turned around with an annoyed glare. "What?"

"There's one more thing we have to do first!" She was grinning again, and this time it spelled trouble. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"...don't want to," he said before she even had a chance to announce what it was.

"Please! It's my last scheme, I promise!"

"Kirishima already turned you down, so—"

"It's not about that!" She pointed into the crowd to where a couple was standing, looking even more awkward than Mina had in front of Kirishima. Two blonds, one that he recognized from the sports festival as the psychopath who won and had to have his medal strung to his teeth because he refused to accept his victory. The other was a small girl in white, who Roan thought he might have seen before, but couldn't be sure.

"So?" he asked.

"What's wrong with that picture?!"

He considered for a moment. "The guy looks like he was dragged here against his will and he'd rather suffocate on Mars, far away from this party and irritating girls as possible. Kind of like how I feel."

"No, grouchy-pants! They're totally into each other but they're not dancing."

"What… have to do… me?" he asked.

"Before this party, I convinced a bunch of guys to go dance with her to make that boy jealous, but it doesn't look like it's working! Desperate times call for desperate measures!" She gave him a rough shove in the direction of the couple.

Roan dug his heels into the ground. "Hell. No."

"You have to! For Aisla's sake!"

He shook his head, undoing some of his dad's hard work. "No. I'm not your performing monkey."

Mina's big, alien-esque eyes shone up at him. Then, she let out a fake, exasperated sigh and looked dramatically away from him. "Guess I can't give you your Christmas present then."

He raised an eyebrow. "...Present?"

"Yeah. I got you something, but if you can't do me this one little favor…"

"What happened to your promise to stop manipulating people?"

"The party's not over yet, Ro-Ro!"

He scowled. "It's not chocolate again is it?"

"Guess you'll never know!"

He stared at her. So weird. But then, he turned back toward the awkward couple. "I have a condition."

"Oooh, we're making another deal?"

He narrowed his eyes. "...you… lunch… one more month…"

"Deal!" She grasped his hand and shook it. "One dance for one month of free, homemade lunches! Spare the garlic, extra tomatoes!"

He nodded, then, with dread in the pit of his stomach, he walked up to the pair. He watched as they both peered up at him, eyes going wide as he approached. Ugh, people hate me as much as I hate them.

The guy looked instantly suspicious, and the girl looked amused.

"Hello," Roan mumbled.

"Who the hell are you?" The hothead snapped, temple pulsing.

Wow, he's even more intimidating and less likable than I am. No wonder he looks so miserable.

"Oh! You're Mina's boyfriend, right?" The girl asked. "Um…Roan Fujinari?"

Boyfriend. He almost rolled his eyes. After tonight he could finally shed off that title. No more fake boyfriend nonsense. Instead, he nodded, trying to shield her from his line of sight with his hair. "I was instructed to come ask you to dance…" he grumbled, and he swore he could feel Mina's eyes burning a hole in his back like acid from her quirk. "You can say no."

The guy looked like he was about to blow a gasket.

If I get punched in the face for this, I'm never talking to her again. I'll ask Ectoplasm to expel me.

"And if I say yes?" The girl asked.

Roan felt horror zap through him. "Please don't." That would increase his chances of being punched tenfold, he could tell by the way the guy's palms started to shake in balled-up fists. He really did not want a broken nose. And even more than that, he did not want to dance. He'd take a skull fracture over putting his arms around this stranger any day.

The girl giggled. "You're off the hook, Fujinari! Tell Mina I said 'nice try', though!"

Thank god. He wiped the sweat from his brow and immediately turned away from them to flee. He went back to where Mina was doubled over, clutching her stomach and laughing.

"Oh man! That was so rich! All of you looked so totally awkward! I thought Bakugo was going to explode your face for sure!"

"If you fail to make me lunch even one day in the next month, I'll tell all of your friends that you blackmailed me into pretending to be your boyfriend."

"Relax!" she laughed. "You can count on me, boyfriend!"

He grumbled, rolling his shoulders back as the stress built-in muscles. "I'm leaving now."

"I'll walk outside with you!"

She followed him out of the gym and into the cold night air. He shivered and looked up at the white sky, reflecting the city lights as flurries of snow gathered within the clouds. He heard the crunch of grass as she joined him away from the streetlights, in a pool of darkness beyond the gym entrance.

"Well," Mina said, her teeth chattering against the cold. "I guess that's it. Our contract has been fulfilled! You saved yourself from being expelled and I did my best to make Kirishima jealous! It was an adventure, huh?"

"It was the weirdest business transaction I've ever been party to," he said.

"Still! We're friends now, so it was worth it, right?" She stared hopefully at him.

"I never agreed to be your friend," he said, lip twitching in a smirk. "I said I'd think about it."

"Big meanie!" She crossed her shivering arms over her chest. "After I schmoozed up to Mt. Lady and everything for you?!"

He laughed. "After everything that has happened in the last couple of weeks… let's call it even."

She nodded, and he watched the way her breath came out in a white cloud against the cold and the way she rubbed her arms. Her dress wasn't suited for the outdoors at all. And, when he looked up at the sky, he saw that it was starting to snow.

"You should go back to your dorm," he said. "You'll freeze out here in that."

"Just a few more minutes! I want to stay out here with you."

He stared at her, watched as a snowflake landed on top of one of her horns, sighed, then shed his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Her responding, sharp intake of air, and reddening cheeks made something warm inflate in his chest, something that was getting more difficult to ignore.

"Thanks," she said, voice quiet.

He couldn't decide if he wanted to quip something witty or say 'you're welcome,' so he remained silent.

"About your present," she said. "I don't have it yet. And since you don't have a phone right now, I'll just have to come by your room once I have it for you. You cool with that, Ro-Ro?"

He could have told her he had his phone back and she could just text him, but for some reason, he didn't. He simply nodded and said, "Try not to show up on the brink of exhaustion."

"But your bed is so comfy to nap in!"

He opened his mouth to retort, but then they heard sound and movement. Students were flocking out of the gym in a mad rush, some laughing, some crying. It looked like something must have happened at the party after Roan and Mina had left. He counted this as a blessing. He'd hate to be trampled in that crowd.

They watched in silence as students filtered out, some returning to the dorms, others taking the party to the sidewalks. And there, among them, were Kirishima and Kanzashi, carrying gift bags to a bench beneath a street lamp, smiling and exchanging presents in the dim light. The girl was practically bald now, so she must have used her quirk inside. That didn't seem to faze the redhead, though, who was touching her face as if she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever laid eyes on.

Roan glanced at Mina, watching her as she watched them. Her expression was unreadable, and she was quiet as the couple leaned in for a kiss far too intimate to be had out in public like this.

"Mina…" he said, quietly. "Did you ever decide… what you want?"

She tugged his jacket tighter around her and didn't answer, her eyes not straying from the cuddly couple.

"Is it that?" Roan asked. He gestured toward the couple. "Is that really what you've wanted? This whole time?"

She remained silent for a while longer. Finally, she tore her eyes away from them and stared at the falling snow. "All I really wanted… was for someone to like me the way he likes her. You saw it… he likes her when she's pretty, and when she's bald. He likes her when she's smiling and he likes her when she's giving him the cold shoulder. He cares about who she is. Every part of her. And I… I just wanted to be noticed like that too."

"You're an idiot."

"That's so mean," she pouted. "I'm pouring my heart out here and you have to point out how dumb I am?!"

"Don't you get it?" He looked at her, brushing his hair out of his eyes to look more clearly into hers. "There are already people who like you for who you are, Mina. Your friends aren't stupid. They don't think of you as 'the hype girl' or whatever. They genuinely care about you. At least, Uraraka does. And that moron Hideshiro knows all about your conniving side and he seems to like you. And I…" he swallowed the words.

"You…?" She looked at him so intensely that he wanted to duck his head and run.

"I… guess… like… too."

"What's that?" she stood on her toes. "No one can hear you when you mumble, you know."

He pinched his temples. "You heard me."

"Nope, sure didn't!"

He sighed. "I… I'm saying… You don't… have to change or hide who you are. Even the petty side of you that sabotages people's girlfriends and tricks people into irritating contracts. It's fine. All of it."

Her eyes lit up, drinking his words. "Really?"

He shrugged. "People are… random and unpredictable. They have good attributes and bad ones. Doesn't make them… bad people."

"Wow, Roan," she giggled. "You're talking like you don't hate people anymore."

He let out a slow breath. "Maybe… I don't. Not all of them, anyway."

"Not me?"

He stared at her, tracing the shape of her curled horns and the wisps of her hair, down to her black eyes and golden irises, to her pink nose and lips. "No," he said, "I don't hate you."

She stepped closer. "Do you like me? Even though I'm mean?"

"Do you like me?" he countered, "Even though I'm mean?"

She grinned. "Yes. I like you, Roan. I like everything about you."

He nodded. "There. I don't care if you're mean. Makes it more interesting, anyway."

Her grin widened even more. Then, her eyes started to gleam with tears.

"Oh no…" he dipped his head, hiding his eyes once more. "...do I always… you cry?"

"It's not your fault!" She wiped her eyes. "I just… feel so relieved, y'know? I was so scared before, but now… I'm just really happy I met you, Roan!"

He didn't know how to react, so he stood there, uncertain, as she continued to sob.

"R-Roan, can I…" she looked up at him with pleading eyes.

He let out a long sigh, then opened his arms. "Just this once… because… it's cold… your crying… and Christmas…"

She immediately accepted his invitation and threw her arms around him, crying against his button-down. He was rigid for a moment, but then felt the warmth of her body against his, blocking out the wind and snow, and he felt himself relax. Felt his arms drift low to wrap around her. Felt his head tuck down until he could feel one of her horns brushing against his hair and he could smell her perfume.

They hugged each other in the falling snow, huddled together in the dark while Kirishima and Kanzashi held each other in the light. They were a shadow of the couple on the bench. Unlike the redhead and his tutor, Mina and Roan's friendship hadn't started in wholesome innocence. It wasn't friendship that blossomed brightly into a sprouting romance. It had been twisted and selfish, winding and angsty. And yet… even though the paths had been different—one a midday stroll through fields of flowers and the other a midnight walk along a broken road—both pairs had ended up here, on Christmas day, arms wrapped around one another as the first snow of the year swirled around them…

A/N: Can you feel it, Mr. Krabs?