tfw you set a fic around Christmastime because that's when you start writing it but don't update it for a while and now it's March

Izuku was laying on his bed thinking about Yui when he realized his phone was blowing up.

This never happened unless something was going on in one of his two group chats. The main Class A one, or the one with Iida, Uraraka, Tsu, and Todoroki (which they called the Dekusquad, something that made him a little uncomfortable). In this case, the first message that he saw appear was something from Yaoyorozu, meaning it was the former.

Yaoyorozu: We need to go out and buy some more things for the Christmas party. Any volunteers?

Tokoyami: I can go.

Jiro: sure

Kirishima: alright! what do we need?

Yaoyorozu: Green things. Wreaths and garland

Shoji: is that really necessary, the common room seems pretty decorated as it is

Ashido: just bcause ur a minimalist :P we want to overdecorate!

Kaminari: why dont you just make that stuff yourself yaomomo? wreaths and garland are always plastic anyway

Yaoyorozu: No, we need to support the local economy.

Jiro: are you really that lazy kaminari

Jiro: christmas is still like four days away we have plenty of time

Yaoyorozu: Also, we need a proper Christmas tree. There is a farm out in Hachioji.

Ojiro: that's pretty far, and we cant take a tree on the train

Yaoyorozu: That's why I've recruited Itsuka fro

Ashido: oop

Yaoyorozu: That's why I recruited KENDO. She has a motorcycle license and can strap a small to medium sized tree to the back of her bike.

Ashido: nice save :)

Kirishima: hachioji is far but i can go if you need

Midoriya: I'll go as well.

Hagakure: me too!

Yaoyorozu: Okay, that should be enough. Kirishima and Midoriya can do the heavy lifting and Hagakure can actually pick the tree.

Kirishima: hey, what's that supposed to mean?!

Jiro: she's saying that you boys would just pick the first one you come across and be done with it

Ashido: you don't understand the nuance to shopping for a good product

Hagakure: don't underestimate midoriya-kun

Hagakure: taking care of that mess of green hair probably means he'd be good at buying plants

Midoriya: Seems like a stretch. I will do my best though.

Yaoyorozu: You three take the train. Kendo will meet you there on her bike. As for the other things, Jiro and Tokoyami?

Jiro: crystal clear dollface

Tokoyami: Roger that.

Kirishima: Why not ask Kodai from Class B? I feel bad for making Kendo ride across the city by herself. If we ask Kodai she can just take the train with us and shrink the tree. Then grow it again when we get back.

Hagakure: no

Yaoyorozu: Kendo has already agreed to it. Don't worry about her.

Midoriya: Kodai-san's quirk does not work on living things, anyway.

Ashido: ;)

Hagakure: what's that about

Kaminari: oh no

Jiro: omg i hate yall

Jiro: leave the poor boy alone

Mineta: hey what did i miss

Yaoyorozu: Nothing. Go away.

Mineta: D:

…

Ochaco and Tsu were playing cards on the floor in the common room, while Iida made himself a chicken salad sandwich at the counter.

"Hey, does the dorm seem empty to you today?" Ochaco asked Tsu.

Tsuyu shrugged. "Maybe some people went home to see their families today, ribbit."

Iida shook his head. "No, a bunch of people went out to run errands for the Christmas party. Do you two not check your phones?"

"Oh whoops, ribbit. I haven't checked mine."

"Mine's been dead for almost twenty-four hours," Ochaco half-whispered dramatically.

Iida's eye twitched. "You…what? Why?"

"Because it ran out of power."

"Then…why don't you…charge it?!"

"Because my plan charges me by hours of usage! It can stay dead for just a little longer, I did text my parents right before it happened anyway so…"

"Uraraka-san. Go charge your phone." Iida deadpanned at her.

Uraraka rolled her eyes. "After we finish this game."

Tsuyu, meanwhile, was scrolling through hers. "Oh!" she exclaimed, and then looked up at Iida. "Midoriya-kun went to pick up the Christmas tree?"

"Yes. I believe Kirishima and Hagakure went with him."

"And Kendo as well, apparently. Ribbit." Tsuyu blinked at Uraraka, whose eyes widened. Midoriya and Kendo both off campus?

That would give them a chance to execute their plan. There was only the Tokage issue…but she was just one issue compared to three.

Iida saw the looks in their eyes. "Oh, no. You know that Todoroki and I don't approve of that idea."

"On a class rep level?"

"On a FRIEND level!" He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, exasperated. "You two cannot just kidnap Kodai…"

"Sure we can, ribbit."

"We only want to talk to her," Uraraka grumbled.

"Well, she probably doesn't want to talk to you! If Midoriya and Kodai have something going on then they deserve the privacy to work it out themselves! Or are you two as bad as Ashido now?"

"We just don't want Deku to get hurt."

"This veers into dangerous territory. Tension between our classes is already somewhat up since the snowball incident."

"Midoriya and Kodai are both class cinnamon rolls, ribbit." Tsuyu put a finger to her chin. "I feel like if they get together, then tensions might dissipate."

"But it sounds like you're trying to scare her off from him," Iida pointed out.

Ochaco waved her hand. "Nah, nah. We just want to talk is all. Make sure her intentions are good. She's a hard person to get a read on. For all we know, she could a manipulative, conniving, evil bi-"

She cut herself off. Both Iida and Tsuyu were staring at her.

"You've got that scary look in your eye again, ribbit."

"Uraraka-san, have you ever thought you might be a little overprotective?"

"Deku deserves it," she said, defensively. "He's always overprotective of everyone else. He deserves someone who is that way toward him. I want to make sure that…Kodai can be that person, too."

…

The train ride was long, and somewhat awkward.

Izuku sat between Kirishima and Hagakure. The red-haired boy was dressed in his school uniform, as was Izuku himself, but Hagakure was in a flowery blouse and tight jeans. It was easy to notice her clothes, since…there was nothing else to notice.

"Hagakure, I like your outfit," Izuku said, just to fill the silence.

She made a small sound of surprise and appeared to turn and look at him. "Th-thank you, Midoriya!"

"Hmm?" Kirishima leaned around Izuku, an inquisitive expression on his face. And then, he grinned. "Oh yeah, it is cool! Though…why dress up to go get a Christmas tree? Maybe you like me or Midoriya?" His voice was teasing as he elbowed Izuku in the side lightly.

Midoriya blushed at the thought, romance having already been on his mind. I wish I had Kodai's phone number. "Kirishima, c-come on. Sometimes girls just like to look n-nice."

He felt Hagakure pat his arm lightly. "You sweetheart. He's right, Kirishima. I just like to dress up when I go out, because…you know…not really gonna get noticed otherwise…"

Kirishima nodded, straightforward as ever. "I understand."

"But it seems it worked, since Midoriya of all people spoke up about it," Toru teased, tugging on his sleeve. "It seems like you've been more confident recently, you know."

"Uhh, well…it is strange." He looked straight ahead, at the windows on the other side of the train, the outer areas of Tokyo rushing by. "I can't imagine a scenario where I would…want to be noticed in public, like that. Outside of hero work, I mean."

"And yet you always seem to pull attention wherever you go," said Hagakure. "You're like the center of everything! Me, I…I guess I'd like to be paid more attention, but…I can't. I guess we both want what we can't have, haha…"

She trailed off. She seemed to be looking away from him, so Izuku gazed for a long time at the spot where her head was supposed to be. He felt…sad. I wish I could see her face. How does she feel right now?

He found himself comparing her to Yui in his head. They were both very hard to get a read on, but for slightly different reasons. And that ignited a spark of curiosity inside him, different from the one that ignited for things like Quirks and heroes but definitely…in conjunction with it.

Oh no. Do I have a type? Do I have a thing for…mystery?

"Ah, don't mope around so much, you two," said Kirishima. "You're both awesome. You're two of the brightest people in the class!"

"Thanks, Kirishima," they both said at the same time in similar resigned tones.

Izuku turned a bit sharply to look at her in alarm at their synchronization, and she appeared to do the same thing. Then, she started giggling.

"Haha…" Izuku laughed a little, too. He'd never really been that comfortable around Hagakure before, especially recently, but…maybe that was changing.

A few minutes later, more people crowded onto the train, and the three of them were somewhat squished together.

A somewhat smelly older man sat down on the other side of Hagakure, and she scooted herself into Izuku a little, clinging onto his arm. Her head slightly leaned onto the flat of his shoulder.

She's warm, Izuku thought, gulping. His heart skipped a beat. He'd never thought about Toru in this context before.

"Do you…do you mind?" she muttered, breathing into his ear. She sounded nervous about the crowd.

"No, it's f-fine." The swell of her chest was just barely brushing against his elbow, and he was very aware of it.

What are you thinking, Izuku. You can't think that way about her. You can't even afford to think that way about Yui. You have a responsibility with One for All, remember? And it's not like they would ever return such feelings…

…

I wonder where Izuku is, Yui thought as she walked alone along a campus path. The temperature had dropped a bit since their perfect morning run, so she was wearing a sweater and hugging her chest a little. I wish I could be walking with him right now. I wish I had his phone number or something.

Earlier, Monoma had pulled her aside and asked her some strange questions. None of them had directly mentioned Izuku, but it had seemed like they were related. Stuff like how have you been feeling recently and any distractions?

If Monoma was planning something, there would be hell to pay. Though maybe she was just suspicious of his questioning being related to Izuku because she couldn't stop thinking about Izuku in general. That also might be it.

A bush rustled behind her. Yui turned slowly, one eyebrow raised.

No one was around. Probably just a squirrel.

Then she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and Tsuyu Asui's tongue wrapped around her midriff. Yui let out a small squeaking yelp, as Ochaco Uraraka leapt from the bushes and put her arms around her shoulders.

The brunette whispered in her ear, "One touch from me and you float away. Don't think of doing any funny business."

Yui coughed. "I think the only funny business happening right now is from you."

Tsuyu retracted her tongue and crept up to them slowly, arms folded into a frog position. "We just want to talk, Kodai. And I think you know what about, ribbit."

"Midoriya-kun?" Yui whispered. "Do you both…like him too?" Her heart sank. He was much closer with Tsu or Uraraka than he was with her, right? If they wanted to pursue him, they could snatch him up so much more easily…

The two Class A girls shared an uncomfortable glance. "Uhh…"

"No?"

"But we do want to talk about him, ribbit."

Yui stared at Tsuyu for a long time, then at Uraraka. Finally she nodded. "Okay. Please remove your hands."

Uraraka stepped back, seeming a bit more sheepish. "Sorry."

She followed the two of them into the Class A dorm, which seemed to be very empty today. Yui looked around curiously, which Tsuyu caught notice of.

"He's not here right now, ribbit. He went with Kirishima and Hagakure to buy a Christmas tree."

Kirishima and Hagakure? A boy and a girl. At least it's not just the girl. Or two girls. Yui winced inwardly.

They went to a room that Yui assumed to be Uraraka's, because the temperature inside was very cool from multiple electric fans. She didn't imagine Tsuyu would want to keep her room cold like this.

Uraraka turned around and sat down on her bed. Yui took a seat in the desk chair, while Tsuyu remained standing.

"So," Uraraka began, crossing her arms. "What are your intentions with our friend?"

Yui almost snorted. It was sort of funny, like these two were his overprotective mothers or something. I bet he really does have an overprotective mother. He seems like the type.

"I…" she began softly. "I think I…like him…I suppose…"

"You're gonna have to be more confident than that, ribbit. If you plan on leading him on…"

She shook her head insistently. "No."

"How much time have you spent with him?" Uraraka asked. "Besides that run, which…I don't know. To us, this seems sort of out of nowhere. Pardon us for being suspicious, but Monoma HAS hatched plots like this before against our class…"

"I would never work with him," Yui hissed, letting her anger rise a little. "Not with something like this."

"Then, how?" Tsuyu put a finger to her chin. "How did you and Midoriya-chan even get close?"

Yui paused for a moment, looking at her shoes. Then, she smiled faintly. "We were roof buddies," she replied enigmatically.

Tsu and Uraraka exchanged a glance.

"So, you really do like him, ribbit."

Yui nodded.

"And you want to spend more time with him?"

Another nod. She lifted her head up a hair. Does this mean…he told them he likes me? Does he like me back?

"Did…he…?" She squeaked, unable to fully ask the question.

Tsuyu seemed to understand. She shook her head. "He hasn't told us anything. He seems to want to keep whatever connection the two of you have…private. Even from us."

Her heart went out to him in that moment. He was always so considerate. But at the same time…if he hadn't said anything explicitly to them, then…? Did he really like her back?

"If you're…" Uraraka began carefully, gazing at Yui's face with deductive eyes. "If you're having doubts, well…I don't think you should. Just between us, I think he DOES feel something for you. Though with Deku, it's…hard to tell. He has that general puppy love for everyone."

Yui's shoulders slumped.

"He also doesn't ever consider his own feelings, ribbit," said Tsuyu. "Hardly ever. He'll defend everyone around him to his last breath, but he won't even think about himself."

Just like how I was with Saya. Yui had wondered many times how Izuku could seemingly lack so much confidence when he was also such an amazing hero, but now she understood. She'd heard some of his past with Bakugo, and had comprehended what that meant well enough. Did his friends know, though? Maybe they knew as much as she did, or even more, but had failed to understand…because they hadn't gone through similar experiences.

They didn't wear a mask.

It has to be me, then.

Yui drew herself up, taking a deep breath. "He needs someone to defend him. Someone to make him be a little selfish sometimes. That's what I want to be. And I want the same things from him, too. I want to have a relationship that isn't just…one-sided."

She had no idea if that had made any sense. It was so hard for her to put things into words these days.

But, Tsuyu and Uraraka both grinned.

"That's a relief," Uraraka said.

"I'm rooting for you, ribbit. I hope…I hope things work out. Even if you guys just stay friends, because he might not be ready for a relationship, ribbit. But you both seem really happy around each other, so…"

Yui nodded, and stood up to leave. "...Thank you both," she breathed quietly as she backed out of the room.

…

Toru awoke to Midoriya shaking her gently. "Hagakure? We're here."

"Huh? Wha?" She stirred, getting up off his shoulder. Wait, his shoulder!?

She sat up much more sharply, looking at him in alarm. His face was sheepish and a little red. "Uhhh, s-sorry, should I have woken you before? You just seemed so p-peaceful…"

"No!" she protested, a little too quickly. He let me fall asleep on him. Her heart was fluttering. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it." She put a little pep in her speech, to make sure he understood she really didn't mind.

"Well, alright then." Midoriya stood, along with Kirishima, and they moved to the doors. Toru followed, watching Midoriya's broad form step out of the train. No. I do not mind at all.

It had been a very pleasant nap.

The Christmas tree farm was just a short walk from this particular Hachioji train station. A brown, earthy space occupying a hillside, the trees were set up in lines. They were of varying heights and widths, and Toru remembered her actual job here. Immediately she began scanning to find what the ideal tree would be for both Kendo to take back, and to set up in their common room.

"Wow, cool!" Kirishima exclaimed, pointing. "There's so many!"

The guy running the farm hailed them at the entrance, and immediately began promoting the nearest trees to Kirishima, who swallowed the bait and entered conversation with him.

Toru tugged on Midoriya's sleeve. "C'mon."

He turned to look at her in surprise. "Hm?"

"While Kirishima's distracting the salesman, we can make an actual choice. Let's go."

"Oh…alright." His cheeks were faintly red, but he allowed Toru to drag him away. She had to resist the urge to take his hand. Quite not that time yet.

"Hmm…" she scanned the trees around them. "We should get something kinda short, right? The ceiling in the common room is pretty tall, but Kendo will have a hard time strapping a taller tree to her motorcycle.

"We also should get one that has evenly divided branches," Midoriya suggested. "So we can decorate it nice and evenly."

"Oooh, look at you being all logical!" Toru poked him in his firm chest. "I didn't even think about that. Maybe the girls were wrong about you after all."

"Haha, well…I just do what I can, I suppose." He looked away from her and scratched his neck.

After another minute or two of silent browsing, interrupted by one time of Midoriya pointing a tree out and Toru shooting it down, she decided to ask him something.

"Did you celebrate Christmas at home, Midoriya-kun?"

"Sort of?" He shrugged. "My mother and I got presents for each other. She would buy All Might merch for me and I'd get her some home ec supplies or a mug or something like that. We would make apple cider or some other special holiday thing and enjoy that, but we never got a tree or anything. Or put up any decorations at all, really."

"So…is it just you and your mom at home?" Toru asked, a somewhat sad tone in her voice.

"Uhh…yeah. My dad works overseas. And I have no siblings."

"Me neither. Only child gang." She lifted up her fist, which caused Midoriya to look at the sleeve of her blouse blankly.

"It's a fist bump," she explained.

"Ah. Right. Sorry." He fist-bumped her. "So you're an only child, then? I guess it would be difficult for your parents to have a bunch of invisible kids running around."

"Haha, well…" Toru turned a corner, leading him along with her. "Who knows if they would have gotten a Quirk like mine…"

"What are your parents' Quirks?" he blurted. "If you d-don't mind me asking…"

"It's fine!" She chirped, though this was a sore spot for her. Still, he's curious about me! He's making conversation! "My dad can make himself visible and invisible at will. My mom has an energy quirk that lets her stay awake for her entire life."

"Huh…what?" Izuku's eyes widened. "She…doesn't have to sleep?"

"Nope. Never does. She has like, three jobs."

"Can she sleep if she wants to?"

Toru shrugged. "I guess not. I've never seen her sleeping."

"That…is very interesting. Imagine how much you could do with your life…" he muttered. "Sorry, I should probably stop myself before I get to rambling."

"Haha, that's okay."

"So I guess you didn't really inherit any part of your mom's Quirk? Just your dad's?"

"Yeah, except I can't turn mine off."

"Oh. Did you…did you always…have it? Like, did it manifest right as you were born, or…?"

Toru swallowed. She didn't want to make things uncomfortable, but if he was asking…

"No, I got it when I was five. I was visible before that. And before you ask, I have normal black hair. It's probably a real mess at this point."

"Ah. I see." Izuku turned red again. "Sorry. I'm probably asking questions that you hear all the time."

"It really is fine, Midoriya-kun. The more educated people are on what it's like to be me, the better. That way they don't make any false assumptions. What about your parents? What are their Quirks?"

"Oh, umm…my mom has telekinesis and my dad can breathe fire."

"Huh?" Strange and stranger. "How did that become super strength? Your grandparents or something?"

"Uhh…the doctors think that my super strength is some kind of tactile telekinesis, a violent mutation of my mom's."

"Oh, I see." Though Toru really kinda didn't. Midoriya was such a weird case. She also got the feeling that he might be lying to her about something. She wasn't sure what detail the lie was, but…it frustrated her. And I suppose you've told Kodai the whole truth, is that it?

She stopped in front of a tree. "Let's take this one."

…

Itsuka Kendo pulled up to the tree farm and revved her bike. The three Class A students were walking up to her, Kirishima and Midoriya carrying the tree together while Hagakure waved at the farmer behind them.

"Hey, Kendo!" Kirishima waved. "Nice bike!"

"Thank you." She replied politely. Kirishima was a cool guy, though a bit overenthusiastic.

"Say, does Class B need a tree? It feels weird that you're Class Pres but you're helping us out." Kirishima frowned as he helped Midoriya load it onto her bike.

"We have a reusable plastic one from last year," Itsuka told him. "I guess Momo prefers the natural kind, though."

"They can be a mess," said Kirishima. "Oh well. VP's orders."

Meanwhile, Midoriya and Hagakure were talking about something. The invisible girl giggled and shoved herself into the boy's arm in a playful way. He seemed to respond well to it, laughing back and only going a little red.

Itsuka raised an eyebrow. "What's with them?" she whispered to Kirishima.

"Oh, uhh…not sure. I don't think they were ever close before. Honestly, it's like I've been third-wheeling this whole time." Kirishima laughed, as if it didn't matter at all, and then walked over to finish strapping down the tree.

Itsuka continued to watch Midoriya. Since when was he so close with Hagakure? How long has this been going on? Does Yui know?

...Should I even tell her?

Had she gotten the wrong idea about Midoriya the whole time? Was he some kind of ass that led a bunch of girls on at once?

No, that seems unlikely.

Kendo shook her head, as if banishing the thoughts, and climbed back onto her bike. Whatever the case, she felt uneasy. Like there was some kind of disastrous drama on the horizon. And I'll probably have to help dig us out of it.

…

In case it's unclear, I really wanted Yui to have a love rival in Class A that already liked Izuku, and I picked Toru because she fits well with the "mask" theme.

Next chapter will have our two leads back together again, don't worry.