Extra long chapter today and an important announcement at the end...

Finally, after a seemingly endless, nerve-racking journey for Midoriya, they finally arrive back at the dorms, and they're immediately greeted by their classmates roaring at their arrival. It startles them a bit as their friends rush over to bombard them with questions.

"Bakugo!"

"Midoriya!"

"Thank goodness you're okay!"

Mineta is the first to call out the elephant in the room. "But are you really okay, Midoriya? You're not crazy anymore?"

"Mineta!" several of them yell at him. But he was genuinely asking out of worry.

"Y-Yeah… Actually, um, I have something to say… about all that…"

They all go quiet for a moment as they watch her take a breath to prepare herself. "Everyone… Thank you. You all knew I was going through a hard time, and you did your best to help… But I didn't show even a little gratitude. All I did was push you away…" Bakugo can feel her hands tremble a bit. "Because I was afraid. I was afraid of being a burden to you guys." Ah. Now that she's actually saying it out loud to them, she's starting to feel the real weight of it. Her eyes water up again for the umpteenth time today, and she prays she won't fall apart in front of all of them. "I know that you're heroes, and you're just trying to help me. But it's awful… feeling like I'm just a victim, waiting to be saved. I wanna be a hero too, y'know! And heroes aren't supposed to cause trouble for people, so…" She shakes her head. No, that isn't what I want to say to them. "I… I want… to be a hero to you guys too! I meant what I said that day! Even if it hurts you guys to hear it, it's the truth: I'd rather die than be a burden to you!" As she thought, she can't stop her tears from overflowing. "That's why… I won't apologize! I can't keep apologizing for everything! I have to do something! That's why… no matter what any of you say… I… I'm…" She takes a sharp breath in and screams to the sky, "I'm making curry for everyone tonight!"

Bakugo winces since he's still glued to her, but then he stares at her, and for a moment, they all (except her) share the same expression on their faces. Huh? they think.

"I'm gonna do it! It's to… show my gratitude," she whimpers, "And it's to prove to myself that I can do something! I'm not just gonna sit there lying to everybody every time… every time you guys ask me if I'm okay… I'm not!" she sobs, "I'm not okay!" She tries to wipe her eyes dry. "But I'm still a hero! So I'm going to do my best for everyone!"

She keeps crying for a few seconds until the rest of them can take it no longer. They tear up too as they call out her name and rush in to give her a collective, crushing hug (also crushing Bakugo in the process).

Bakugo screeches, "Wait a minute, you idiots!"

"Aww, we're glad you're okay too, Bakugo!" Ashido teases.

He was going to tell the boys specifically to back off, given Midoriya's fear, but as he glances at her, he sees her smiling genuinely again and lets it go. Maybe the more she opens up to them, the more she trusts them, and the less afraid she becomes.

As promised, within the hour, Midoriya is in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. She's never made curry by herself for so many people before, but she remembers what her mother taught her about increasing portion sizes and puts it to work. Meanwhile, Kirishima helps Bakugo upstairs to his room to rest a bit more before dinner. At first, her classmates want to ask her if she's sure she doesn't need any help, but Uraraka is the first to say, "You've got this Deku-kun! We're counting on you!" knowing it's what Midoriya actually wants to hear. "We're all super hungry!"

"Eh?" Kaminari interrupts, "But I just ate—" Sero elbows him in the ribs. "I mean…! Yeah, we're starving!"

Midoriya smiles gently with forgiveness in her eyes. "Anyone who isn't hungry now doesn't have to eat any, but please have some tomorrow! If anyone doesn't get a serving, I'll make more. So, really! Eat up!"

They cheer and wait patiently, but deep down, some of them are a bit worried about something else. After all, the last time Midoriya made curry, someone threw up. But amongst each other, they decide here and now to eat it and tell her it's delicious no matter how bad it is.

Which is why, when the curry is finally done, that first bite surprises Kirishima so much that he blurts, "Whoa! It's actually good!" After which, he tries to apologize, but Midoriya won't hear it. She understands just how bad a cook she is, how she still has a long way to go in a lot of things right now, but if she can do just one thing right, just one thing at a time, then…

She watches most of them scarf down her curry with happy, surprised looks on their faces, chatting with each other blissfully about how yummy it is. …And she realizes that this is what she wanted. Even if she can't save them all from a villain or some other disaster right now, even if she's weaker than she's ever been, brute strength isn't all it takes to be a hero. Just like Mr. Aizawa said to Kacchan… Just like she said to Kacchan. He was finally able to learn that all because she did everything she could do for him, so right now, she can't blame herself for what she can't do. All she can do is keep being a hero her way.

She remembers to take a batch of curry upstairs to Kacchan. He might be asleep, but she knows he hasn't eaten in a while and that it'll help build his stamina back up. She knocks on the door and doesn't hear an answer but comes in anyway. As she thought, he's asleep, but she gently nudges him awake, calling his name.

For a moment, when he opens his eyes to the sound of her soft voice, he almost doesn't recognize her. Half way between a dream and reality, the first thing he sees is her gentle, glowing smile that makes him feel safe and relaxed. And he thinks she's an angel, that maybe he really did die and pass over, and now he's in heaven and all the angels look like her, almost like they're mocking him. But slowly, he remembers that angels have wings, and she doesn't, so this must be real. "…Midoriya."

Her eyes light up a bit as she smiles even bigger and blushes at her name again. "I know you probably want to sleep some more, but you should eat something too." It's only then that he notices the smell in the room, the smell of freshly made curry. She reaches over to his small table and grabs the plate while he tries to sit up. "Ah! Wait! Let me help you." He refuses, wincing as he carefully sits up and turns to sit on the edge of his bed. She sits next to him and hands him the plate. He notes that it smells really good this time, almost like when he makes it but maybe just a little different. Bracing himself a bit, he takes a bite.

Just like the others, she watches his face light up with surprise. He chews a bit, then says, "…It's good."

She swells with pride. If Kacchan's saying it, then it must be true. "I made some changes to it with my mom's help, but most of it is still yours. Thanks again for the recipe… I practiced it a lot while I was gone." …and kept thinking about you… "It… really helped me move forward."

He scarfs it down as he listens to her, just barely remembering to breathe between bites. It really is way better than he expected. Then he thinks of something to say. "…You too… The rabbit training. I kept doing that while you were gone. Started meditating more too. It helped a lot… so thanks." Sometimes I wished you'd get the fuck out of my head, though…

She nods to him. "Yeah. From now on, I'm gonna keep helping you more and more. Everyone else too. I want to keep helping them… like you helped me."

He pauses. "Just remember to ask for help this time when you need it… And even if you don't, I'm gonna help you anyway."

She nods again. "Yeah! We'll help each other! That's what… friends do." Friends. That's right. Kacchan and I are friends. And I'm happy with that. I don't need him to be anything more than that. Todoroki-kun too. Which means… "Um, Kacchan, sorry but I gotta go."

He freezes. "You little…" and glares at her. Pouting, he starts again, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm—"

She shrieks a little. "No! No! Stop! I didn't mean that literally! I—!" He doesn't stop, so before he can finish, she flees his room.

"Hey! Get back here!" he shouts angrily after her.

But she doesn't. She has something she has to do. She heads back downstairs to find the one person she needs to talk to the most right now. "Uraraka-san." The brunette had just finished that delicious plate of curry and was looking forward to complimenting Deku-kun on it when he approached her. "Um… Can I talk to you?" Unfortunately, they're not alone, so about 10 other people who overhear him immediately get the message and scramble to figure out what they should do.

"Ah!" Ashido pipes up first. "Midoriya! Leave the dishes to us! We'll clean up everything and put the food away!"

"Eh? But—"

"It's fine! Really! We wanna thank you too! The curry was awesome!" She gives him a big thumbs up.

He reminds himself that he has to accept help sometimes and answers, "Uh! Sure! Alright. Thanks, then." When his head is turned, Ashido gives Uraraka a wink, at which the brunette blushes.

The two head upstairs to Midoriya's room on the girls' side. Once again, to Midoriya, it feels like it's been forever since he's been in this room. He motions to Uraraka to sit down next to him on his bed.

Uraraka watches Midoriya prepare himself mentally before speaking, but she still can't resist breaking the silence. "Th-The curry was really good, Deku-kun! You got so much better in just a week!"

"Ah. Yeah. It was really bad the first time, huh?"

"Eh? N-No! No! I wouldn't say that!" She waves her hands around defensively, nervously.

"It's okay. I almost gave up after it made Kacchan puke."

She remembers that and digs her metaphorical heels in even deeper. "Bakugo-kun was… waaasss…! J-Just so happy you made something for him, he couldn't contain his joy!"

Pfft! He doesn't even try to hold back his laugh at that one. And he's not sure what's funnier, the joke itself or the look on her face, like she just had the best idea ever and had to tell him. He launches into a giggling fit, and that's when Uraraka sees… Deku-kun… You're okay now. After everything that's happened the past few weeks, after how much she worried about him, he's finally okay… But she feels like… she didn't really do anything for him. All this time, she was all talk. She told herself she would do anything to help him. But in the end, she never really knew what she was doing. Deku-kun got better without her help. What was she even doing? All this time…

But this couldn't be further from Midoriya's thoughts. Cute, he thinks, And she's still so nice. It truly feels like it's been forever, forever since he's felt so warm and at peace with her, like he's talking to the living embodiment of a cheerful, sunny day. He remembers how much he longed to feel this way forever. Just a few words, and that's all it takes for him to remember what she means to him. That's why this next part is so hard, but why it absolutely needs to be said.

"Uraraka-san." She refocuses her attention on him as he calms down and finally figures out what he wants to say. "I… I love you."

She freezes for a moment before she squeaks, "Eh?!" her already pink cheeks turning a shade redder.

"I know Kacchan already told you…" Yes, yes, she did know that, but she still wasn't expecting him to just come out and say it! "And I'm sorry about that. Because of me, you had to hear it from him. Because I lied to you. That was really wrong, and I'm sorry. You… You didn't deserve that… You deserve better."

"…Deku-kun," she breathes, still in shock.

"But that's why… I'm sorry, but I still can't… be with you that way." He can just barely make eye contact with her, seeing the confusion on her face. "The truth is… The reason I lied was… I'm… not good enough for you. Not like this. I know I don't have to be strong to be a hero… but that doesn't mean my goal has changed." He stares down at his dainty hands. "I still want to be the greatest hero, one who can protect everyone and make everyone smile. Even if right now I can only focus on one of those, I still… can't be satisfied until I get there."

He finally turns to her again and looks her straight in the eye, with all the confidence he's gained from his many ordeals up until now. He'll face her the same way he wants to face every challenge from now on. With a smile. Not the fake smile that he uses to push people away, lying to himself, telling himself that he's protecting everyone from his struggles. It's the smile that reminds him of All Might, the one that boosts his confidence and prepares him to face anything. And as he looks into her eyes, he knows he's finally ready to tell her everything and face whatever's waiting for him on the other side.

"I love you, Uraraka-san." Frozen in place, captured by his gaze, she loses all power or will to break free and listens to him as her heart races. "That's why I want you to have the best. Because of you and everyone supporting me, I feel like I can get there someday… But I don't want you to wait so long for me. That's why I felt like I had to lie. You deserve better, and if you find someone else like that someday, I want you to be happy… So don't choose me just yet."

He takes her hand in his, holding it gently but still in a firm grip that Uraraka can only describe as "manly".

"Wait for me." His eyes are pleading. "…And when you can't wait any longer, if you find someone else who makes you happier than I ever could, stop waiting for me… I won't be able to forgive myself or call myself the greatest hero otherwise. If I… If I can't make sure the person I love is happy, then it's all for nothing."

Ah… So that's it… All this time… he felt the same way. Just like her, he wanted to keep running forward, to become a better hero, someone who wouldn't embarrass the person you love when that person finally looks your way, someone who can keep up with that person, becoming the best that you can be for them. …And for that person to choose someone else if it'll make them happier than you ever could. All this time… he felt the same way.

Her eyes glisten. "…Idiot," she mumbles. He blinks at her, thinking he might've misheard her. "Deku-kun, you're such a dummy! If that's how you feel… if we're the same, then… Why can't we get stronger together?!" She takes his hand in both of hers. "I want to get stronger with you, Deku-kun! I want you to have the best too! I want you to be happy too! So let's just… become the best together!"

Ah… He hadn't thought about it that way. This whole time, he thought he had to make her wait. But if she wants to get stronger too… if she wants to walk the same path, then…

Ah… But then he remembers the other thing he has to tell her. "I… I want to, but… There's something else, something I didn't lie to you about." His gaze drops in shame. "At the time, I only said it to push you away, but… it's true… The truth is, I…" He looks her in the eye again. "I really do love someone el—"

"Bakugo-kun, right?" He stares in disbelief with a look on his face that asks how she could possibly know that. "I know… From the way you look at him, I can tell…" In total shock, Midoriya wonders who else has been able to tell and turns pale at the thought. "That's okay. I won't give up." He focuses on her again and sees that she means it. "If there's even a chance you could choose me, I won't give up this time! I'll keep trying! Until I'm the only one you look at."

His heart pounds. He can't put into words how happy it makes him to hear that. But… But…! "I… I also like Todoroki-kun!" he blurts.

It stabs her through the heart. "Eh?!"

He starts to ramble, "I-I didn't mean to! It just sort of happened! And well, y'know, by the time you notice something like that, it's already too late! B-But I think I like you and Kacchan a lot more! But between you and Kacchan, it's sort of hard! I love Kacchan, but in a different way, and—!"

"I get it! I have a lot of competition! But… well, at least you don't like any other girls, right?"

Rose Omoda pops into his head. "Ah."

Seeing the obvious look on his face, she grabs his shoulders and starts shaking him. "Geez! Deku-kun, why do you love so many people?! That's not normal! Make up your mind! And who's the other girl, anyway?!"

"I-I know! I know! But… Um… The last time I saw… Omoda-senpai, she was really cool."

"Eh?! Senpai?! So now you like her?!" The irony could not be understated.

"W-Well, she… she helped wake me up. I wouldn't be here without her. After I got really depressed like that, she came and… But, it was just for a second! I don't even know if it'll happen again! Maybe I was just happy! Grateful! Maybe that's all!"

Uraraka heaves a dejected sigh, then pouts a bit as she glances back at him. "But that's all?"

"Yes! That's all! I promise! I'll… let you know if any more come up." He's visibly ashamed to have to say that.

"…Deku-kun… When you say, you love me… what does that even mean to you? Does it even mean anything, if you can say the same thing to so many other—"

"It does! It does mean something to me! But… I think… what you all have in common is that you gave me strength when I needed it the most." He remembers all those times, how important each moment was to him, how they each found their own special way to give him exactly what he needed right when he needed it. "I feel like I wouldn't be here without any one of you… But I know it's not fair to feel this way about you all and expect you to wait for me to make up my mind. That's why… even though I want to pick you, Uraraka-san, I know I have to sort out these feelings first. I want to know for certain. That's the other reason why I said you deserve better. You deserve someone who will pick you over anyone else, someone who wouldn't even hesitate to pick you. Maybe I'll never be that for you, but there's still some part of me that's… selfish… I don't want to give you up, so I'm going to work this out. I know that asking you to wait for me is so selfish and awful, but… that's why I'm saying if you meet someone else who won't make you wait to be happy then pick him. I can't keep being selfish if it means that you get hurt. I won't let that happen."

She believes him. She calms down and pulls herself together. "Okay. I understand, Deku-kun. It makes sense to love the people who were there for you when you needed it. So all I have to do is keep being there for you no matter what. That's what I wanted to do anyway, so this'll be easy!" She puts on a brave face and a bright smile, but the truth is that she knows it won't be easy. Everyone else that Deku-kun likes really did something important for him, but she doesn't really feel like she did anything. She'll have to try even harder from now on. That's why… "Deku-kun! If you ever need anything, you gotta let me know! Okay? You said you wouldn't lie to us anymore, so if you lie to me again, I…! I… won't be able to keep waiting for you." She takes his hand again. "If we're going to grow together, then we have to share the weight! I won't hide things from you anymore either. Okay? We're in this together!"

She… She still accepts him. Despite this awful feeling in his gut, like he's betrayed her, she still accepts him… Yeah, maybe he can do this. Maybe instead of pushing her away, he can grow with the girl he loves. And what could possibly make him happier than that? "Yeah!"

With that out of the way, Sunday comes like a breath of fresh air. Midoriya bestows upon herself the responsibility of taking care of Kacchan and making sure he gets as much rest as humanly possible, even borrowing Kouda's bunny to make Kacchan feel like he was still getting some training in. But whenever she happened to pass through the lobby and lock eyes with Uraraka, the two would smile at each other in that special, nervous way that lovestruck teens do. For once, things are peaceful, and the only thing that really weighs on her mind is their test results.

Come Monday morning, they've all had sufficient time to steel their nerves, and in homeroom, Aizawa gives the final results. And in first place is… not Midoriya and Bakugo, which honestly the two had been expecting. There was no way that whole fiasco with the Konpeito and the Bombshell (the name they gave to the sweat-collecting, shell-like back pod) wouldn't get points deducted. So the next place they look is at the very bottom of the list, the teams that got eliminated. Obviously, Todoroki and Kaminari are there, but Midoriya and Bakugo aren't, so they keep looking and find themselves rather quickly as the lowest pair just above the ones that were eliminated. And according to Aizawa, the two got through just barely by having the fastest time.

Almost telekinetically, Bakugo leans back as Midoriya leans forward. "It's okay, Kacchan. We'll definitely get it right next time."

"Damn straight."

And with that, Aizawa wastes no time in moving on to the trios. As he said in the beginning, the 3 pairs with the lowest scores will split up and join one of the other pairs, with Aizawa joining one of them at random (since there are 7 trios but only 20 students). The big floating display screen splits up the failing pairs and shuffles them at random. And those few seconds of shuffling are murder. Midoriya is confident that she can help Kacchan, but the worse case scenario would be to get someone that Kacchan can't work well with and whose quirk doesn't mesh well with his.

And as much as she prays for Uraraka's face to pop up next to theirs, she's just not sure if she can work with two people she's in love with, if she can keep it together long enough to focus on the assignment, or if she can handle it when the blonde and the brunette inevitably don't get along. But still, there are some cool moves that can be created from explosions and zero gravity, so it's okay to hope, right? It'll work out. She can do it. She'll make sure it works out! So please… please… please!

The board stops. The trios have been decided.

And next to their faces, they see…

Eh? …N… No… Slowly, she glances at Kacchan. And even from behind him, she can tell, he is definitely not happy.

Then just as slowly, she glances toward the back... at Todoroki. He looks just as surprised at first. Then his eyes meet hers. He stares at his new partner and nods confidently. To her, it almost looks like… he is happy.

And so their second challenge begins.

Can you believe it's been a year since I started writing Koin (and almost a year since I've started posting it)? Jeez, where does the time go? But anyway, this is a really important announcement: I've decided to take a break from the story. I feel really awful about it, but I can no longer deny that I'm really pushing myself to get each chapter out on schedule. I used to be able to write 10 or so chapters in advance and have a comfortable cushion of time to slowly work out the rest of the plot. Now I'm so behind, I just barely finished this chapter a few days ago. So in order to make sure this story gets all the TLC it deserves, I'm taking a hiatus for a few months. (And if I'm being even more honest, I still have some things to work out with my financial situation.)

But don't worry. I have a specific date in mind to come back. My birthday, June 14th, happens to be on a Monday this year, so that's when I'll start posting again. Until then, I hope you guys can enjoy rereading the story and maybe comment on some bits you didn't notice before on the first read through or things you liked then that you still like now. J I want to deactivate most of my social media, so the only connection I'll have to you guys is here. And please share this story with your friends or anyone who you think would be interested in it! I always appreciate seeing new favorites, follows, and comments! I'll miss you all, and I promise to be back fully rested and ready to tackle the story again, hopefully for another year.