Hello! Another update for you guys! You lot excited for the new season coming out? I know I am, even if I am one of the sliiiigtly smug manga readers who knows where things are headed haha!

Warning: Mature sturf this chapter, some saucy stuff If you wanna skip, scroll to the first scene break.

NOTE! The next month for me is looking rather manic on a personal level, nothing to worry about haha, but just gonna be busy/distracted. So! To avoid unexpected delays, I'm gonna delay the next update till May 7th, so it's a month this time round instead of the usual two weeks. Should give me ample time to get things sorted and for things to have settled down again. This isn't going to be from now on, just the once, but yeah, fair warning, bit of an extra wait before the next update. If I find myself able to update earlier, I shall, BUT the plan is to next update on May 7th! See you then!

ALEX POV

The climb up the stairs to my room had never felt so fucking long. But finally we made it, and I got the damn door unlocked. I already told Dad we were back, and said we'd already eaten–which we hadn't, but food is the last thing on my mind. We would be hanging out in my room. Dad wouldn't come knocking. He wouldn't dare. Or even think to.

As soon as the door closed and locked, Sho trapped me against the door, bracing his hands by my head.

Slowly he zoned in, eyes fixed on my lips. "Just messing around right? Not the whole way."

"Right." I swallowed and giggled. "Just some of the way."

"You're sure?" He leaned closer. "We really don't have to do more than kissing. I swear I can–"

"I'm sure." I laughed breathlessly, unzipping my hoody. His eyes followed, and he swallowed hard. "You gonna keep up?" I shrugged out of it, letting it puddle against the carpet.

He cupped my face and kissed me hungrily, pushing me flat against the door, his hands caressing all over my body. He took over the undressing. Tugging his jumper out of the way, he reached for my wig. He asked with a small tilt of his head. I nodded. It's gone. Then he kissed me again, peeling my t-shirt off. Every inch of my revealed skin, he peppered with kisses and hums of appreciation. My bra remained in place, his tongue tracing the line of lace before the kissing continued. My mind fizzed. Even for someone as unkeen on mirrors as myself, it was hard not to feel utterly adored. I tugged on his t-shirt and he chuckled, quickly pulling it over his head and revealing that ridiculous body. Half the country saw most of it thanks to the festival, but only I got to linger. I kissed along his collarbone and then over to the other side. His sigh ended in a slight growl as I tugged off his belt and shoved his jeans down.

He kicked them out of the way, unbuttoning my shorts. "You're gorgeous. Have I told you that today?"

"Mm, fairly sure you did at some point." I gasped into another kiss.

I traced the waistband of his boxers, his hardness already very evident from how he ground against me before. Curiosity got the better of me. I interrupted his attention to my shorts by slipping my hand under his waistband. He stalled and shuddered. I hummed against his lips and gripped his length. It was warm, and the skin soft despite the hardness. Interesting...

He groaned and leaned his head against my shoulder, breathing harder as I began to stroke.

He swallowed and pressed his lips against my throat, voice coming out in a moan. "A-Alex."

"Yeah?" I stroked again, squeezing a little.

I turned us, him now against the door.

He jolted and growled into an almost whine. His breathing quickened. His hips moved slightly in time with my hand's movement. I watched closely. I wanted to know what worked for him, what made him feel good. But I couldn only know so much from body language. Looking up, I met his eyes, his pupils were blown, mouth slightly ajar as he panted. His brows came together almost as if he was concerned, but the blush and way his eyes nearly rolled back said otherwise.

"Talk to me, Sho." I bit my lip and his eyes lingered there, his throat bobbing with another hard swallow. "Faster? Slower? Harder? I wanna know what you want."

I gave an experimental squeeze and he gulped, leaning back harder against the door as if worried his knees wouldn't hold him up.

"F-Faster." His blush brightened and he pulled me into a kiss, hands cupping my face, fingers running along my short hair. It was desperate, the way his teeth caught my lips and his tongue delved deep into my mouth.

Fuck.

It was hard to concentrate, my hand moved along him a little faster. His breath came quicker.

His hands clasped my jaw and shoulder tightly, his hips rolling into the contact. "Fuck. Alex I'm gonna… I think I–"

"Shh. It's okay." I squeezed again, and I guessed the way he got warmer had nothing to do with his quirk. I continued the faster pace, kissing along his collarbone, dragging my teeth a little. He shuddered. His hand on my shoulder trembled. I nibbled on his neck. "Let go, Sho. I wanna see it, I wanna see you reach that moment."

"B-But you–"

"We're focused on you for now." I breathed, biting his shoulder lightly.

"I–" He moaned, head back against the door, eyes closed, lips still bit.

He's so beautiful. Stood there, abs clenching with every roll of his hips, blush creeping down to the hollow of his throat, hair swept back. It was hard to not end up making my own small noises, a throbbing grew between my legs. I tried faster again. His eyes fluttered, the whites showing as he groaned deeply, chest rumbling with it before he surged forward to kiss me again. Yes. Please. I sighed into it, stepping closer, my legs parting over his thigh, allowing a little pressure. Perfect. He panted, whispering praise against my lips.

"Fuck!" He moaned, and a wet warmth spilled over my hand.

I slowed.

His hips juddered to a standstill. He kept kissing, cupping my jaw so lovingly, breathlessly muttering between kisses, my name and 'so good'. Then 'thank you', which made me giggle. My hand kept moving slowly as we kissed lovingly. I had no idea what it was like for guys, but I knew I needed a second whenever I got to that moment by myself.

When he breathed easier, and stopped peppering me in kisses, I pecked his cheek and smiled. He laid his head against the door, a small smile of bliss in place. Perfect. I went to wash my hand.

Giddiness filled me to the brim. I did it. I made him feel good. Afterwards he seemed so blissed out, so calm. His breathing had been deep, his expression serene. Such a normal thing, an intimate moment between girlfriend and boyfriend. Normal. I bit my lip as a blush ran along my cheeks and I turned off the water. I was happy. Simple happiness.

I barely heard him approach as I dried my hands. But there he was, hugging me from behind, with a fresh pair of boxers on, but nothing else–he had some clothes in a drawer for the nights he stayed over for my nightmares.

He kissed the back of my neck. His eyes met mine in the mirror, and at first I thought he was smiling sweetly, but then he nibbled just under my ear and my breath caught. His hands, which were hugging me tight, slid down, his thumbs caught in the belt loops of my shorts and pulled teasingly. I was left in my bra, tights, shorts and knickers. I bit my lip.

He hummed and kissed along my neck, lingering at the join to my shoulder. "My turn, I think."

"Mm." I leaned back into him, so warm.

He snaked his arm around my middle, meeting my gaze again in the mirror. "Can I touch you, Alex?"

"Y-Yes." I didn't intend it to come out so small, but it barely whispered out before I had to bite my lip again. Dammit, every inch of my skin fizzed. I trembled as he hugged my waist tighter. So strong. His other hand skimmed the edge of my tights. He slipped under slightly. It was strange seeing it in the mirror.

He sighed, still sounding so content. "Do you want to move to the bed?"

"Please." I gulped and he chuckled by the shell of my ear, making me shiver. "W-What's so funny?"

"You're flustered. Good to know I'm not the only one."

"Of course I'm flustered." I turned in his hold and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him deeply. His humming response rumbled against my chest as he held me close. He still tasted like hot chocolate. I didn't realise he'd lifted me until I was set back onto the bathroom tiling.

He sighed happily. "You seemed so confident just now, made me wonder if you weren't nervous at all."

"Of course I was, I just had you to focus on instead." I brushed his hair back and he grinned, bending slightly to lift me by my thighs, looping them round his hips so he could carry me through. "I did it okay, right?"

"Amazing. But we can do a report later, how's that?" He raised a brow and then laid me down onto the bed, his hand skimming to the zipper on my shorts. "As fetching as they are, how about…"

I shimmied and he laid them, and my tights, over the back of my desk chair. When he turned back, he paused. For a moment I wondered if he had spotted an issue; maybe one of my scars was catching the light badly, or maybe my stubbled hair on my head was sticking up funny. But then he whistled low and shook his head, smiling. Oh. He was admiring. He stepped closer, settling down next to me, propped up on one elbow whilst his other hand ghosted along my stomach.

"You're so beautiful, Alex." He frowned. "Do I tell you that enough?"

"You tell me plenty." I laughed breathlessly, biting my lip as his touch ran back down again, ghosting along my ribs, skimming past my belly-button, following the line of my knickers. I held my breath as his touch ghosted under the material, his eyes fixed there, brow smoothed. Then his eyes returned to mine. His touch continued back and forth along that line, peeking lower occasionally.

"Beautiful." He smiled softly and leaned in to kiss me, my fingers immediately lacing into his hair as our tongues met.

He hummed, deepening the kiss, and moving his hand towards my hip, pulling gently on the material, sliding it down. I shifted myself to let it slip away, using my power to pull on the other side and avoid it catching on my knees. He seemed to notice. Was that too eager? A chuckle rumbled in his chest as I discarded the underwear on the floor and pulled on his hair lightly.

"You're not getting impatient, are you?" He breathed against my lips, eyes blown like when I had stroked him. His breath was quickened slightly again as well. I was glad to know I wasn't the only one that got affected by being the one doing the touching. I brought my hand to his cheek, fingers tracing his scar lightly before moving to trace his lips.

"I am happy to go at whatever pace you want, Sho. But I do think you're starting to be a tease." I grinned at that sparkle in his eye. "I knew it."

He shrugged, fingers skimming back up my thigh slowly. "I heard anticipation can make everything feel… better." His touch slipped to my inner thigh, his hand resting just below where I ached. His thumb rubbed small circles into my skin, eyes searching my face. "And you're sure?"

"Touch me, please."

His brows lifted slightly before he nodded and looked towards his hand. I closed my eyes and laid my head back, gripping his shoulder with one hand, and the sheets with the other. Closer. His hand inched upwards and my legs parted on instinct. It was his ice side, but clearly he was doing well to control it. Barely below normal temperature.

It was the tiniest stroke, but my whole body shuddered. A gasp left me in a euphoric rush. Very different from my own touch. I had a hard time staying still. Another stroke, another. I sighed, voice pitching higher into a whine as he grew bolder. His touch deepened, going so slowly, so carefully. Like I was made of glass. He skimmed further down and traced where the ache was deepest, begging to be filled. My hips rolled. I couldn't stop them. His touch slipped inside and I keened, voice barely contained.

"Alex, you don't need to hide it. I want to know what works for you." He breathed, voice husky as he pushed deeper, reaching the first and second knuckle in quick succession. My mouth fell open. He was right though, he had helped me, so now I had to help him. "You're trembling. Does it hurt?"

"N-No." I laughed, the hand that had been in the sheets loosened. Perhaps I should just show him. Would he like that? Would he feel undermined? "It's g-good. Heh." My breath was quick, it felt amazing, but his hesitations made me very aware of how much more awaited.

He smiled and kissed my cheek, pressing deeper again, till I could feel his palm cupping against me. I rolled my hips against the heel of his hand. But the pressure wasn't there. Too gentle.

"I-It's difficult to say… Can I… Can I show you?" I gently put my hand atop his and he looked down, swallowing hard, his boxers becoming rather tight against my leg. He nodded.

How many times had I imagined my hand as his? Too many. I nudged his second finger into place and pushed in, whilst also pressing the heel of his hand down. I sighed into a soft moan.

His head snapped back to me at the sound. "Good?"

"Y-Yeah." I panted, hand moving to push at his wrist. "Deeper."

"Of course." He pushed and his fingers reached so much deeper inside of me than my own ever could. My toes curled and I arched off the bed slightly. He gulped and kissed along my neck, worshipping the skin there, his hand gently pulsing in and out. I encouraged the heel of his hand more, sending sparks along my nerves.

"Fuck." I laughed into another moan, rolling my hips harder. "Yes…"

"Wh-Why the heel?" He asked breathlessly against my throat.

I hummed and turned my head to kiss him properly. I pulled his touch from inside of me, as much as I didn't want to, and guided his fingertips further up. He bit at my bottom lip before looking away again, studying like the good student he was. It took a few seconds, but there it was. That hard little knot of nerves. I trembled and keened into another moan when he caressed it and then pushed down. Perfect. With that sorted, I pushed him deeper again, but with three fingers. Oh god.

"It's so tight." He breathed, kissing me again, swallowing my moans as they came thick and fast. "Quicker? Slower?"

"A l-little quicker. And deeper. D-Deeper." I pleaded, turning and biting at his shoulder, my whole frame trembling as my nerves began to build to that moment. "Oh god… Sho… Shouto."

"Yes, Alex?"

I looked up and he pressed deeper again when our eyes met. Mine nearly rolled back. "I'm close."

"Fuck, you're perfect."

He pulsed in and out, stroked against my walls, heel of his hand kneading down. My nerves gave way. Yes. Fuck yes. I dug my nails into his shoulder, and tugged him down into a fresh kiss to slightly dampen my moans–not actually wanting to announce to everyone what had just happened, as amazing as it was. I kissed him as deep as I could, practically mewling as my nerves sang.

Fucking.

Amazing.

He kissed my throat and my chest, tongue skimming along the line of my bra as he gently caressed me through the fading echoes of the moment. Those small pulses of pleasure that took a few moments to fade away. I stared up at the ceiling, heart hammering, skin tingling, sweat cooling. Bloody hell that had felt perfect. It wasn't right to feel this happy, was it? Maybe it was. Don't overthink it.

I sighed in a content hum.

His touch slowly left me and he looked at his hand. "I was worried I'd been too rough."

I giggled. "No. You were wonderful."

"With a little help, yeah." He grinned.

I blushed. "I hope that was okay for me to do..."

"Shh, it was great." He kissed my cheek. "We're learning together. Important, right?"

"Mhm… very."

He looked towards the bathroom, thoughts rumbling around his head for a moment. After maybe fifteen seconds of quiet, his eyes met mine again and he tilted his head. "How about we uhm… clean up together?"

"What like… Shower together?"

He blushed. "Was that a silly suggestion?"

"No! I was just clarifying. I do not mind getting to see you soaking wet." I grinned and kissed him again, his hand gently tracing between my legs again, making me shudder. Damn tease. He chuckled and got up, offering his other hand and helping me through to the bathroom. I got the water going and removed my bra, while he shimmied out of his boxers and wound his arms round me from behind. His lips trailed up my neck. We were never going to get anything done, now.

Steam rose to the ceiling.

We stepped inside, and as soon as we were both under the stream he kissed me. Seems he couldn't get enough. Lucky really, because neither could I. My arms wrapped around him and pressed myself close. More. He ran his hands all over me, skimming my hips, my back, my ass. I laughed and leaned back, running my fingers along his chest and then down. Slowly. I traced his abs and as my nails skimmed, he tensed and let out a shuddering sigh. His own touch ran along my shoulder, then my collarbones, and then a little lower still. He stopped just shy of my chest.

I bit my lip. "It's okay."

"I… How tender are they?" His fingertips ran down the middle and skimmed underneath and back up to my collarbone. I hummed, his touch pleasing even when that simple. It was sweet of him to ask–every check for consent was sweet. But I was going to have to ask about it. It was almost like he wasn't sure I meant yes, when I said it.

One thing at a time though.

I smiled. "Usually not tender at all, only a bit tender when it's that charming time of the month." I shrugged and led his hand down, letting him explore. Like watching a kid with a new toy. I suppose it sort of was. But of course, despite the heat of the water, the attention made itself known as my chest got… perky. "That's the main area where things are sensitive."

He bit his lip, and I did not miss the small lick of his lips. Gah. Am I becoming a horn dog? Or is this just teenagery-dom-ness? Guess it didn't matter. It felt good. I felt good. He had felt good. Don't overthink it.

I smiled. "You're not gonna hurt me, and even if you do, I'll tell you." I chuckled and he laughed breathlessly, kissing me, growing bolder as he massaged my chest harder. I sighed and stroked the nape of his neck, leaving enough space for him to continue his 'studies'. As his grip tightened, pinching my nipple, I keened softly into his mouth and he broke away with a slight gasp.

"I-Is that a good noise or a bad noise?"

"Good." I smirked. "Though that kinda contact is usually only good when… well, when I'm turned on."

He rumbled in his chest, crowding me again. "Ah, so you're still turned on?"

"I have Shouto Todoroki, soaking wet and half hard in my shower, yeah, I'm turned on."

Seemed I wasn't alone. He pushed me against the tiles and caught my gasp in another kiss, his hands worshipping my chest. I arched into it and bit at his lip. He pinched again, harder. I moaned and sucked on his tongue. He jolted and kissed along my neck. Then he sunk lower, and kissed along my chest, he looked up from under his dark lashes and grinned. My knees shook.

"Alex, I wanna try something. Can I?"

I nodded. "Mhm."

He kissed the mound of my breast and then took my nipple into his mouth. His tongue laved over it and he sucked lightly. Oh shit. I trembled, hands flying into his hair and tugging hard, but still pulling him closer. He bit harder and sucked more. I whimpered. He moved to the other one, a satisfying 'pop' sounding. Again, softly to begin with but building all the time. I reached with my quirk and stroked him gently. He was still only half hard, but I guessed that might be due to recovery time or something. He moaned against my skin, still working his mouth against me as one of his hands sunk lower than my hip, slipping between my legs and stroking my core. His thumb found the knot immediately. I fell apart.

"Sho… Sh-Sho kiss me."

He rose to his feet immediately, another 'pop' sounding as his lips moved from my chest to meet my mouth in a desperate gasp. I clung to him, his fingers working into me like a pro. He licked into my mouth and swallowed every noise that tumbled out of me–his own enjoyment clear from his moaning despite me having had to stop my quirk attention due to not wanting to lose focus and do it too strongly.

Bliss.

It toppled me over into a void of fizzing numbness that had my knees nearly giving way. But he held me steady, kissing me longingly and deeply through my second orgasm.

He peppered my jaw with kisses. "I read somewhere that women could have multiple orgasms, one after another… I was curious to see if I could give you that."

"Dear fucking god." I laughed, heart racing.

He laughed too, putting his forehead to mine. "Alex…"

"Mm?" I looked up. Water cascaded down his body, droplets gathered in his hair as it fell across his eyes. This is my boyfriend? Fuck. "What is it?"

He cupped my face and kissed me gently. His lips moved to my cheeks, then my forehead, my eyes, softly caressing all over. "If this is as far as we go, I'm alright with that, okay? You understand that?"

"Uhuh…" It was hard to concentrate as his lips moved down my throat. I leaned back on instinct, trying to think. "Wh-Why?"

"Just so you feel free to say 'no'. I don't want you to think I'm some kind of sex maniac."

"Sho, I know you'd never push me into something. And you know if you tried, I'd push you through a fucking window."

He laughed, kissed me on the lips and then caressed my cheekbone. "Alex?"

"Yeah?"

His cheeks dusted pink. "Do you think I would be… Well could I…"

"Sho, say it." I pecked the end of his nose. "I want to know what you want to try."

"Can I try... kissing you down there next time?"

My brain tried to catch up.

Kissing. Me. Down. There. Oh. Ooooh. This guy was going to be the end of me. A shudder ran through from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Plenty of times that had been in my head as well; red and white hair bobbing between my legs, my fingers gripping it, my hips rolling, him biting the inside of my thigh, licking into my…

"Alex?" He kissed my cheek.

I must have been bright pink. "You want to… I uh… Well I mean…"

"It's fine, you can say 'no'. I just want to know all the ways to get to that place. To make you melt. Plus… I just… I dunno, I want to try it. But again. You can just say 'no'."

"No! I mean no, not no. Yes! But I just–what I mean is–"

"You don't need to do it back or anything." He breathed, kissing along my shoulder. "And I don't mean right now. I just loved watching you fall apart, let go, I kinda wanted to see how other stuff might affect you. Is that weird?"

"No… That is impossibly sweet." I rolled my eyes, he was too good for this world. "Yes, of course you can. And I want to do it back. I liked it too… Seeing you melt."

He stopped meandering around my skin with his lips and stood straight again, hands skimming along my arms, resting on my hips. He looked unsure. "Yeah? You liked seeing that?"

"Absolutely."

"I thought I was making such foolish noises."

"You're insane." I tilted my head. "Did you not like my noises?"

He went wide-eyed. "N-No, they were amazing. Why…" He looked to the side "Are mine like that?"

"Sho you're ridiculously hot no matter what you do, and don't you dare make a joke about your quirk."

He grinned and kissed me again. "Damn, you're mean in the shower…"

He's impossible. And he's all mine.

"I love you, Sho."

"I love you, Alex."

As much as I would have enjoyed staying in my room for the rest of the week, month or year, being picked apart by Sho's intense want to know every tiny detail of my body, we did still have a festival to prepare for. Things were going well and the class had started practising the dance parts of the performance. Thankfully my inclusion in that was minimal, I'd be standing by Jiro for the singing after all. I had a few things in the special effects area to help with as well, but that was my own suggestion. After all, my tactile control had come a long way and I could help things fly around and perhaps even be in a formation. The special effects team were taking that into account as they planned, Kirishima occasionally asking about weight and distribution for my power. I just shrugged and said 'let's try it' every time.

When Mina suggested Izuku be moved to the special effects team to ensure Disco Ball boy wasn't plummeted by my power shorting, I couldn't really argue against it. A whole body was a lot to levitate for a long time, whilst also singing and lifting anything else. But Eri had been so excited about seeing Izuku on stage. I suggested he be given a small snippet of dancing, so that she could at least see him before he had to dash off stage. That's agreed on and Izuku beamed at me. It was silly really, he could have asked for that himself, but he struggled to let anyone know if he was unhappy about things. He also blushed like mad when I pointed it out. Too adorable.

Speaking of communication.

As we sat down for lunch, I nudged Sho's shoulder and shuffled closer to him in our booth. We sat with Izuku, Iida and Ura; Iida and Ura sat on the other side of the table, while Izuku sat next to Sho and me, Sho in the middle, me cosy in the corner. I wanted to talk to Sho about the other day. Not specifically any details that would be awkward if overheard, but the subject of consent kept popping back into my brain. Iida and the others were engrossed in chatting about their roles for the show anyway, so when Sho leaned closer to me, I knew they wouldn't eavesdrop. Though Ura did wink at me and I blushed accordingly.

"Everything all right?" He asked, smiling softly as he put his shoulder to mine.

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask you something about the other day, in my room?" I clarified and he nodded, expression sobering, mismatched eyes looking me over as if he might find something he had done wrong sitting like a badge on my skirt. "You were awesome, obviously. I was just wondering about why you kept asking if it was okay?"

He blinked. "Uh… Not sure I know what you mean?"

I leaned closer. "You asked if I was sure at the start, I said yes. And then… Well it was very sweet, but you kept asking. Like I might change my mind part way or something. Did you think I would? Was I like… I dunno, cagey or something?"

He pinked. "Oh. No, not at all, you were uh… very willing." He snorted and then shook his head. "No I just know… Well to be perfectly honest, it's a weird line for me."

Oh god did I push him? Did I make him feel pressured into taking that step? It was me that said it after all, I mentioned it that night we said 'I love you', had he just gone along–

He continued. "My parents were married, but I can't say they ever seemed all that romantically inclined so…" He pursed his lips. "I have to wonder how much of their 'relations' were… you know…"

Ah.

The penny clanged to the bottom of my brain.

I touched his arm. "I see. No need to explain further, but thanks for letting me know. Firstly, I'm with you because I want to be. Secondly, you're not him. But, sorry if that was a bad scab to pick at."

"You weren't picking, you were checking on my well-being." He pecked my cheek. "Thank you. I should have mentioned it earlier in all honesty, but I can't claim to have really been aware of all the asking either. I just… Yeah I wanted to be sure."

"You're the sweetest man, I swear." I squeezed his hand and then returned to my lunch.

We chatted with the others, and Sho reheated Ura's tea after she forgot about it. They're all so excited about the festival. I was glad. After Kirishima's wobble, I had wondered how the others were really feeling. But they seemed fine. Elated, even. It was nice to see Izuku more like his usual self; bright, sunny, happy in general. My friend was so resilient.

I finished eating fairly quickly, still not having much of an appetite after that draining quirk's effects, but instead of staying in the booth, I headed out for a stroll along the jogging track. Sho stayed with the others, needing to fine tune their plans. I didn't mind though. My own space was important. And the outside was something I had really grown to appreciate since being free of Overhaul. Beyond that, I could now see clearly. The trees were going bare, and the air had a distinct chill to it as winter continued, but in my jacket with my scarf tucked in and hat pulled low over my wig, I was perfectly warm.

Dad was sat having lunch with Toshi, Nem and Hizashi. I waved as I went past and they all waved, grinned or gave overly-loud whoops of my name–I'm sure it's easy to guess who was who in that last part.

Outside, I headed into the part of the path that had trees either side. It wasn't much like any kind of wilderness I guess, but it was likely as close as I'd ever been inside the city. A few birds chirped about, likely building nests or… I dunno whatever the fuck birds did at this time of year. I smirked. My mind drifted. Classes were going well, and training too. I had received another message from Hawks during my recovery. I was hardly in contact with the guy or anything, I just mean in addition to his offer for me to place with him as a Work Study earlier in the year. It had been a simple note, one that Dad handed to me after dinner one night.

Hey kid, not sure the Hero world has ever seen such a stubborn survivor before, you're doing great. Hope your recovery's going well. Consider my offer open if you ever get the chance at a Work Study etc. the Hero world needs folks like you.

It was sweet. It was also random as hell. I had no idea why he wanted me to work with him so badly. Our styles weren't exactly suiting, and I would struggle to keep up no doubt, with the whole lack of flight thing. Then again, he was an odd guy. Dad just shrugged and suggested taking it at face value. Hawks was a pretty upfront guy to deal with apparently. I would keep the offer in mind of course, but if I was cleared to do a hands on study, it would be with Dad. For his peace of mind and my own. Along with that, I wanted to learn from Dad in the field. His approach to Hero work was one I wanted to emulate. I had seriously grown tired of cameras.

"Hey! You gone deaf over there all of a sudden?"

I spun at the sound of Shinsou's voice, grinning as he came over, jogging a little to catch up with me. Out on a lunchtime walk as well, his coat buttoned high and hair sticking out from under a black beanie.

"Sorry, I was in my own world."

He smirked and held an arm out, I hugged him tight before falling into pace with him along the track.

His breaths appeared in small white puffs. "Figured you might be. Not interrupting am I?"

"Nope. I was just getting some air. Glad of the company."

"Sorry I haven't been able to train with you yet, things have been kinda hectic between the Festival and my potential transfer."

"I'll bet, what's happening with the transfer at the moment?"

He explained that whilst his grades were doing well, and the training with my Dad had been going amazing, there were some tricky details still to be sorted. Seemed that once you were in a certain course, moving was rather complicated. It still boggled my mind that he hadn't got into the Hero course when Mineta had. Still, we had crossed that bridge.

I nudged him. "You'll get in. I know you will. Or Dad will be ranting for a month at the Principal and no one wants to see or hear that."

He smirked. "Yeah, no doubt. I think there's gonna be a test coming up at some point. Your Dad hasn't said anything specific but… I dunno, I have a feeling."

"You still working on the AOE?"

"Nah, puts too much strain on me. Maybe one day, but for now I'm going in a different direction. No spoilers though." He winked and we headed into the thicker trees. "Excited for the festival? Ready to show your perky UA spirit?"

He was such a sarcastic ass. No wonder we got along.

I gave two thumbs up. "Of course! Gotta go plus ultra, dude!"

"Fuck you're bad at that." He snorted. "Your class is doing a concert, right? We're doing a Haunted House, and naturally I'm getting bloodied up."

"Well you do have that zombie aesthetic already." I winked. "Yeah we're doing a concert, and I'll warn you now. Prepare yourself. I'm… Singing."

He gasped, clutching at his chest. "Shit-sticks! Think of the children! Have you warned the police about all the noise complaints they're gonna get?"

"National guard as well. Don't worry, they're all informed." I rolled my eyes and sighed. "No one will take it seriously, but I swear they're gonna have an uptake in hearing-aid sales soon."

He laughed and shoved me. "Bullshit. I knew about the singing anyway. I asked your Dad you asshole, and he said you sing fine."

"He has to say that, I'm his precious little girl."

Shin guffawed. "Yeah. A real delicate flower."

"That's me!"

"Mind you… Kinda impressed you're being so involved with the whole thing." He smiled at me, without an ounce of pity or stitch of concern. He knew full well I wouldn't be doing it without wanting to.

"Why's that? Do I seem like a wallflower?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, smartass. I meant because of all the media attention you so obviously don't like. The spotlight doesn't seem to be your favourite space. Not to mention, even now, you're kinda making yourself small." he nudged my shoulders which had been hunched.

I straightened up. "I'm cold."

"Uhuh…" He smirked. "Bullshit. But hey, it makes sense. I did mean it as a compliment, being impressed and all, I wasn't being an ass for once."

"Yeah I know, I appreciate it. I guess I figure I have to get back out there at some point, and this way… Well this way I can do it with my friends all around me." The path curved back towards the main school building.

"You'll do great, regardless. You can't seem to help yourself." He snorted.

"Now that makes me sound like an asshole."

"Your words, not mine."

Two weeks into rehearsals. Somehow, it was more exhausting than fucking combat training.

I got out of my shower after the practise day was done, and found my phone blinking with a new message. I threw my towel on my bed and unlocked the screen. Oh. I stared at the message from Dad for a few moments and leaned against my desk.

The Yakuza footage had arrived.

I had planned to watch movies with Dad and Sho tonight, but I guess that would have to take priority. I wouldn't be rushed into it by anyone, of course. But now that I knew it was available to us, time felt pressing.

My phone buzzed again.

Dad: [Kid? Did you get my message? You don't need to rush into anything. We go at your pace.]

Me: {I got it, yeah. Sorry, was in shower. Just… processing. I wanna see it tonight, can you get it set up in your apartment? I'm gonna let Sho know I'm watching it, but not have him be there. I don't want him seeing that shit.}

Dad: [Whatever you want, kid. You want anyone else there? Nem? Hiz?]

Me: {No thanks, I barely want you there.}

Dad: [You're not going through this alone, kid. I gotta draw the line somewhere.]

I sniffed and took a long breath.

Me: {Yeah. Hence me not arguing on it. I'll be up after dinner, okay?}

Dad: [I'll be here.]

Downstairs, in the eating area, I sat down with Sho and Bakugo. Steamed rice and vegetables with grilled chicken. Bakugo made it, so of course it was delicious, but I still pushed it around the plate. The footage. I should mention it to them; either to prepare them for me being a bit weird tomorrow, or simply because they had a right to know. Wait. Do they? I guess it's more my business than anything. But I wanted to tell them. Why? Is that burdening them? Probably. Or just sharing? Damn it, the lines were so blurry.

I sipped my water and put my fork down. "Guys, I have some news."

They both paused their eating, eyes attentive, both listening carefully.

I glanced down at my plate. "The footage has been sent over, at last. I'll be uhm… I'll be watching it after dinner."

Bakugo looked at Sho before settling his concerned eyes back on me.

Sho touched his arm against mine, fingers brushing the back of my hand. "Do you want me to be there with you? Or both of us, even?"

"No." I shook my head. Bakugo's frown deepened and Sho's fingers stopped moving. "I don't want to put you through that. There's no advantage to you seeing what happened to me firsthand."

"Advantage?" Bakugo scoffed, stabbing his fork through a piece of chicken. "Yeah because we'd only wanna be there if it's gonna serve us in some way, right?"

That wasn't what I meant, and he knew it. I closed my eyes and let his anger bubble against the table, his grumbling against his mouthful continuing for a few more seconds whilst Sho tried to find the right words. Sho would want to be present to help me, to hold me up when I wavered. But apart from me not wanting to give his nightmares fresh fuel with the images, I needed to do this alone. Their support was invaluable of course, and vital for me putting one foot in front of the other. But at the same time, that was also an issue. Some day, I might not have them there. Be that because we were separated by agencies, or by simple chance. Or, and it turned my stomach to consider it, but I had to, by death. We were all heading into a dangerous career, I had to know how to deal with things myself, in case I was left by myself.

Bakugo sighed. "You at least gonna have your Dad there?"

"Yeah, he wouldn't let me see it without that." I smiled down at my plate and then looked up. Bakugo still looked pissed of course, and Sho was just searching for those magic words, to get himself in the door to help. "I'm not trying to do this alone entirely. I'll no doubt need you both after I see it but… I have no idea what I will or won't remember when I see it. And I just… My own bubble is going to be the best way to deal with it. Not sealing anyone out properly, but for that moment… So I know how I can process it by myself. Does… Does that make sense?"

I'm not fine.

I'm not hiding.

I'm just trying to get my head wrapped around it before I reach for their hands.

Sho took my hand. "You want to process how you feel about it alone before asking for help?"

I nodded. Bakugo's eyebrows went up and he took a long breath through his nose before sighing and nodding, stabbing some more chicken. Sho squeezed my hand and I squeezed back. It wasn't burdening them, no. But I couldn't always rely on them being available or even capable of helping me. I had to find a way of keeping myself steady, whilst not shutting people out.

Bakugo ran a hand through his hair. "Makes sense. Just don't go shutting down, kay?"

"Won't." I took a mouthful and slowly chewed.

Sho let go of my hand and ran his up and down my back. "Thanks for telling us. Do you think you'll be staying at your Dad's place tonight?"

"Not sure. Depends how the footage hits me I guess." I considered a piece of chicken on the end of my fork. "I might not remember anything still and it'll be like watching a film with some uncannily similar actress to me. Or… it'll all come flooding back and I'll be a total mess. Or maybe something in between." I ate the chicken. "I'll text you, okay?"

"Thanks."

Bakugo snorted. "Which of those options is the least shitty? I can't even tell."

"Not sure I can either." I laughed thinly.

Bakugo swerved onto the topic of training, letting me slowly make my way through the bowl of food. It had taken forever to get the footage from the police, so every minute I stalled felt silly. Go up there. Watch it. But then I knew no one else was being impatient, so I stopped. Take your time. Eat your dinner. Drink some tea. Then go face it, with Dad nearby and the pause button waiting.

After some tea, I headed up the stairs. Their eyes were on me, but I just kept going, smiling and waving as I climbed out of sight. I counted the stairs and then knocked on Dad's door before entering. He was sat at the kitchen island, laptop open, hair tied back, glasses perched and red pen scrawling over someone's coursework.

He set his glasses aside and got up from his stool. "Good dinner?"

"Yeah, Bakugo's cooking's always good."

He nodded. "Tea? Anything?"

"A hug, maybe a blanket and then let's get this started." I sighed, stepping into his arms and holding tight. "How much footage is there?"

"Quite a lot. They dug deep. They only sent us the footage you're featured in though."

I sat down on the sofa, he draped a blanket round my shoulders and set the laptop onto the coffee table. He offered to sit beside me, but I asked him to wait in the other chair. He could watch it later of course, but the first time, I wanted to be the only one viewing.

The pause symbol sat in the middle of the screen, daring me to press play. I reached for the space bar and clung to the blanket. All right. Time to see what those bastards did to me.

So there we have it! Some schmexy time, some chill time and now some set up for what is to coooome! Kind of a cliffhanger, I guess? Not my intention haha, but there we have it. Hope you enjoyed! And see you in a month, on May 7th! For info on that, see the notes at the start of this chapter.

Thanks for reading, following, faving and reviewing, Shoutouts Below! See you in a month!

SHOUTOUTS:

Zikashigaku: Haha I wanna hug the dumbass marshmallow as well haha, but I also wanna keep him beliavably prickly whilst being that biiiit softer too haha. I hope I'm managing that. Hehe yeah, I wanted to keep in mind that as much of a gentleman as Sho is, he is still a teenage boy, who has been wanting to be intimate with his girlfriend for a loooooong time at this point. But I also didn't want them to just be immediately fucking lol, it's a process. Hope you enjoyed the update! See you in a month, and thanks yet again for still being awesome and reviewing! You're awesome ^-^

Evymel: Hey there! Thanks for chiming in, and thanks for the kind words haha, I'd love it if more folks saw the story and liked it, buuut I also just write this for me, and if people happen to enjoy it, bonus! Yes, I'm still invested and updating the fic, I am usually on a 2 week update schedule, though this time I am actually going to be waiting a month until the next update due to personal obligations. So yeah, don't worry, it's not gonna be randomly abandoned. I kinda have to finish fics haha, all my others are completed after all. I just don't like leaving things unfinished! I am gradually reading the manga yeah and seeing how it influences where I want the story to go, I follow cannon to a certain degree, but don't shy away from my own additions. Thanks for the theories on the Vision Villain haha, I won't confirm or deny anything though, as that would be rather spoilery. I would say though, I've established that he works better when he can get good practise with someone's mind, and having practise with a mind like AFO would be pretty intense haha. But yeah, his power set is my own wee creation and I shall not reveal the spoilers! All I will say, is I prefer to keep powers within reason and don't like them to be too OP, or without some kind of serious cost to them! I wasn't sure if you were the "guest" review on the Chpt 43 or not, but anyway, thanks so much for chiming in when you did! I love hearing from readers and seeing how they're finding things!

Guest: Thanks for chiming in! And Lol whump arc, love it. I'll not confirm or deny anything at this point, but I will say, just because I've hinted at something doesn't necessarily mean it'll happen. She is at RISK of having her mind wiped, she is not guaranteed to have that happen. Just lets the reader know that the threat exists! However, I do love hearing folks theories and such, so thanks for chiming in, was a fun read to see where folks think/want things to go. ^-^ but a lot of this is already decided and mainly I am writing this for me haha, so yeah, you'll find out soon enough, don't worry! Thanks again!