"Vonnegut once said 'Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water'. Your next assignment is to pick any character you like from The Tempest and discuss how their desires in the text differ from their on-screen portrayal in the adaptation we watched on Thursday. Since the film is largely true to the play, you'll need to zoom in, I want to see the little things: mannerisms, tone, actions, thoughts, gestures, and so on."

The bell chimed, and the class immediately began shuffling out of their seats.

Nemuri cupped her hands to her mouth. "Due next Friday," she hollered over the racket of excited teens. With a smile she watched them scamper off to enjoy their weekend. She loved her job.

Just as the last stragglers were making their way out, Hizashi popped his head into the room. "Hey Midnight. Got a sec?"

"Sure, what's up, hon?" She flashed a quick smile as she finished squaring away her desk for the weekend. So many papers to grade, so little time.

Mic heaved a sigh. "It's, ah… Well, Shota's at it again."

"Really? Augh, that shriveled up little caterpillar." She snapped her crop. Shota excelled at dragging out the inner worry wort in just about everyone that liked him. Getting irritated would do no good though. To get Shota to come around to your side, you needed to come at him with a solid, rational argument. Especially when he got like this. "Alright, lead the way."

Together they marched straight to the faculty offices, where they found Shota at his desk, hunched over his computer.

He was reviewing the Usagiyama case. Again. It was a fair assumption that he'd been sitting here since his last class ended at ten this morning, and that he had skipped lunch. Again. In fairness, the case had strange written all over it, given All Might's report that the young woman had turned on her own monster. Still, villains were often irrational and unstable. It wasn't so unusual that Aizawa needed to devote every waking moment to it though.

"Hey, Shota! You ready for trivia night?" She, Hizashi, and Shota usually headed over to a small bar every Friday after school let out. It was a nice way to unwind, even if Shota was usually a wet blanket.

"I won't make it tonight," was all he said. Stubborn little man.

Nemuri pulled up a chair and peered at his work. "Make any progress, hon?" He was obsessing, that much was clear. As much as he liked to deny it, Shota had the saving-people-thing in spades, just like the rest of them. This though, this was a bit much, even for him.

"I would be if it weren't for the constant interruptions." He finished typing whatever note he wanted to make and hit the period key rather sharply.

"We're just trying to take care of you buddy. You've kinda been going to town on the whole Mirko thing, and I dunno, we just think it might help if you took a break."

"I didn't ask you to take care of me."

Nemuri pinched her nose and counted to three. "Okay, Shota? Hon? Would you please give me your undivided attention?" She tugged on his shoulder gently, until he finally gave in. "You're one of my closest friends, so please know that I say this with love: It's generally seen as a dick move to be an asshole to the only people who want to see you healthy and happy. Right now, you're being an asshole, Shota."

Mic snorted.

Aizawa tiredly applied some eyedrops. "You know that isn't my intention."

"Road to hell, yada yada, blah blah blah." Nemuri crossed her arms and squinted at him. "We all know how much weight words alone carry. Do I need to drag you into the councilor's office like an angsty first year?"

"Don't patronize me." He groused.

"Don't patronize us." She huffed. "Look, I get that this is important to you Shota. Really, I do. What I don't understand is why. Why do you feel the need to find this girl so badly? Is it because she knocked you out? Because that seems extreme."

"It's because of the goggles, isn't it?" Mic offered quietly, hands in his pockets and leaning on the doorframe.

Aizawa whipped around, eyes glowing, hair floating.

That all but confirmed it for Mic. "Oh yeah. Definitely the goggles."

"Mic…" he warned.

Nemuri blinked, looking between the two of them, astounded. "Goggles? This is about a pair of goggles? Are you serious? Shota, you're already wearing a new pair, what gives?"

Aizawa hissed, but Mic cut in before he could say something he might regret. "They weren't just goggles. They were a… gift. From an old friend."

Oh. Oh. Nemuri kicked herself. "Ah… I didn't know. I'm sorry, Shota. I should have realized."

"It's fine. You had no reason to know." Came the grumbled response.

She sighed and leaned back, gesturing at the spread of notes and photos on his desk. "You aren't going to let this one go, are you?"

"No." Short, clipped, and final. Aizawa to a tee.

"Well… alright then. I have a proposal."

He turned his head, side-eyeing her.

Nemuri supposed that was the best she was going to get out of him. "Take a break. Go shower, get a change of clothes, and grab a bite." She stood, stretching her shoulder. "Then come with us. Get absolutely shit-faced-hammered, sleep it off, and come back to the Mirko thing tomorrow. With fresh eyes you'll probably find something that you're missing right now."

Aizawa considered it, and he didn't look terribly happy.

"And," she sweetened the pot, "If you tell us what you've found so far, we can help you narrow down your search." She cocked her hip and cracked her whip. "C'mon hon, you said it yourself, you aren't making much progress."

Sometimes it was easier to pull teeth than to get Shota to relax for five minutes, but eventually, he closed his laptop.

"Hell yeah, brother!" Mic high-fived her the instant Aizawa gave in.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time at Yaoyorozu's house. Even Kacchan, who was waist deep in a life-or-death grudge match against Asui. One which he seemed to be losing. Thankfully, the two were playing a fighting game on Yaoyorozu's massive TV and not literally demolishing her family home. As things turned out, Asui had a bit of a vicious streak, and had taken all challengers with ease. Izuku himself had lasted for exactly one round before he was out of the bracket entirely.

He slipped out to a staggeringly luxurious patio.

"Ha, why the hell are you calling me? Aren't you supposed to be getting alcohol poisoning and swapping spit with some random bitch?" There was an undercurrent of excitement in Rumi's voice.

He smiled widely. Having a girlfriend was still such a novel experience. "I just wanted to say thanks."

"Oh, for?"

Izuku leaned against the stone railing at the edge of the patio, looking out at the expanse of immaculate lawn behind the house. "For encouraging me to come, I guess. I'm having a great time."

"Well of course I was going to encourage you, ya dork." Then, softly. "I'm glad you're making friends. It really makes me happy."

"I think you'd really like them, they're all so nice." They really were, even the ones that didn't seem the friendliest, like Shoji, and the ones that were… questionable, like Mineta.

"I don't doubt it." In Tokyo, Rumi smiled up at the moon. "Hopefully, if all goes well, then you'll get to introduce me."

"Hey, Mi-dor-i! What're you doing out here all alone?"

Rumi laughed, "Sounds like you're missed. Better get back to it before they all realize what a nerd you are." She could hear the smile in his voice when he responded, and it sent a little flutter up her spine.

"Yeah, I better go. Talk to you later?"

"'course. See ya!" She hung up and neatly slid her phone into a belt pouch. "Sorry about that."

"Boyfriend?" Jun, a woman who was tied to a wooden chair, asked. She seemed genuinely interested.

Rumi's face grew warm. She was starting to like the feeling. "Yeah! We've known each other forever, but we just started dating."

"Aww, that's so sweet. Hey Kenji, weren't your auntie and uncle childhood sweethearts?"

Kenji was upside down and lashed to the side of a vertical I-beam with duct tape. "Yeah! Yeah, they were!" He nodded earnestly. "Just had their anniversary last month, been married thirty-five years now. Really warms the heart to see em renew their vows."

Rumi whistled. "Thirty-five? Dang, that's a long time. Hey, here's hoping for many more." This was certainly one of the weirdest work encounters she'd had in the last few months. Not counting the whole Himiko disaster.

"You mean it? Gee, thanks Mirko! I'll be sure to give 'em your well wishes."

She waved him off, "Ahh, it's no big deal. Now, unfortunately, I'm a bit overbooked tonight, so we gotta get back to business." She grabbed Jun by the throat and squeezed. "You gonna tell me where your boss dumped the cash, or do I have to start snapping femurs?"

Jun spit in her face. "Get fucked, you stupid cunt!"

"Yeah, get fucked!" Kenji added from behind.

Slowly, Mirko wiped her face clean. "Alright. Cool. Glad we're all acting normal again. I guess." She sighed. When did her weekends become just another Tuesday? Her knuckles cracked loudly. "Remember, you morons asked for it."

"Okay, so you came in here… and I came in… here. Roughly." Synthetic vellum crackled softly under her fingertips, in seeming agreement.

Izuku watched intently as Rumi drew on the architectural plans of the USJ: a green dot at the entrance, Izuku; and a red triangle at the central fountain, Rumi. He sat cross-legged across from her, with the plans laid out on a plastic tote between them. They were trying to puzzle out exactly what in the fuck – her words – was going on with her head during the USJ attack.

Absently, lazily, she rolled one of the felt pens between her fingers. "When did you first feel it?"

"Er…" He frowned down at the plans. "I'm… I'm not sure exactly."

"Eh, your best guess'll do fine."

"Around here then." He indicated the ruins zone. "Somewhere underneath."

She hummed softly as she leafed through the pages, one each for every level and sublevel of the USJ. She drew a green dashed line around the underbelly of the ruins zone. "Right…" She bit lightly at the tip of her thumb, "Remember what route you took?"

After a moment, he shook his head. "No… I guess I was pretty stressed. At the time I was just following a gut feeling. Probably wasn't the best idea." He smiled sheepishly. Rumi knew so much about pro-heroics, and combat, and- and spycraft. He probably looked like a total amateur. Well, he actually was, but still, it was embarrassing. He found himself a little envious of all the one-on-one training she'd had with Hawks. The murkier bits where the hero commission was involved? Not so much.

"No, no, no, going with your gut's good, it's perfect." She looked up through her lashes, lips twitching upwards. "Instinct keeps you alive, never ignore it." Her fingertips drummed lightly on her knee. "I think I can figure out where you were. Just… gimme a sec."

"Where I was?"

With a gentle "shh" Rumi shuffled around on her rear, getting comfortable. She leaned forward, eyes closed, and folded her hands together in front of her mouth.

They sat in silence. At first, he thought she was just thinking, but he wasn't so sure.

Her eyes flickered about wildly behind her eyelids, almost like she was dreaming.

Izuku glanced at his phone. She'd sat there for nearly ten minutes, still as stone. She moved again the instant he opened his mouth.

"What part of 'shh' didn't you understand?" she said, clearly amused.

He was going to respond with something witty, or maybe romantic, but instead his jaw dropped as Rumi casually traced out a long, winding path of short red arrows. They started at the red triangle by the fountain, cut into the control room, and then through the maze of maintenance tunnels in the first sublevel. Each arrow had a little time stamp next to it. She switched colors at the hallway where they met. Next, she drew a series of green dots – supposedly representing him – all the way from there to the ruins zone. There was a dot for every arrow, and a matching timestamp.

"Wow. Rumi, this is incredible! How did you even remember all this?"

"Lots of practice, I guess." She rubbed absently at a tiny round scar on the crook of her elbow. She did it a lot when she was deep in thought.

Izuku had an idea of what it meant, so he shifted the subject away from her. "Uh… I'm not sure… wait, I think I'm confused. The arrows are kind of pointing all over the place. It's supposed to be the path you took, right?"

"Hmm? Oh! No, they point to where you were at the time." She laid a ruler across the vellum, lining up the shaft of an arrow with a dot across the page.

"That… that's… no way." Izuku grabbed the ruler and checked for himself. Sure enough, every single arrow she'd drawn pointed to a green dot. Mind officially blown. "How?!"

She only shrugged. "Guess I put a GPS tag on you when you weren't looking." Her ears wiggled from side to side. "What d'you know, these things are good for something after all."

Izuku snorted. "I suppose you forgot right after you did it too?"

"Naturally. But really, I had a little digital watch on under my cuff. I set it to vibrate every few minutes, so I'd look at it and get a timestamp. Really helps with the debrief later." Rumi leaned back on her hands, impish. After a moment she flopped on her back and threw an arm over her eyes. "Ugh… So, what do we have? For whatever fuck off reason I can feel where you are, but I'm pretty sure that only happens when you use your quirk, 'cause I don't feel anything right now. As for the why… Well who the hell knows why?"

Curiously, he let a trickle of One for All loose.

Rumi immediately pointed right at his nose. She left her other arm draped over her face.

Izuku stood and padded around softly, watching her.

Her index finger stayed pointed at his head, no matter where he stood. "Fuckin' weird, right?"

"How do we know its not just part of your hearing?" He relaxed his hold on the droplet of power.

"Doesn't happen with anyone else." Rumi let her arm fall limp on the ground. "Just you, and only when you use your quirk. Why would it be my ears?" With a heave she sat upright, rubbing at her eyes. "Sorry, that sounded super bitchy. I didn't mean to."

Rumi had always, always been abrasive. Pretty rude too, to be honest. Even from day one, when he first met her as a small, angry, scared, little girl. She never stopped calling him nerd, or dork, or moron, or idiot. At first, she meant exactly what she said, every time she said it. He was used to Kacchan – and all the other kids – by then, so he didn't let it push him away.

Before a year was out, they were thick as thieves, and she took a friendlier tone with him. By middle school, there was this subtle and endearing warmth in her voice that he found himself craving after she left Musutafu. Now… now she'd roll her eyes and let out this quiet, breathy, chuckle before calling him a nerd in such a loving way that it made his knees weak.

He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. "I know. Hungry?"

"Starving, actually." Rumi craned her neck, looking up at him with a smile. "And thirsty. And tired. Cranky. Bit of everything really." She reached up and smushed his cheeks. "I'm really winning today."

"How about I go get food?"

Her eyes lit up. "Ooh, you got my attention. What're we vibing?

C-cute. An idea took hold rather quickly. "Why don't… I surprise you?"

"Pfft, I know what you're up to." She squinted. "You ain't smooth."

"Come on, it could be fun. Besides, we'd get more info, and get food. Two birds with one stone?" A solid flick to the forehead had him retreating.

Rumi bent backwards, planted her hands on the floor, and smoothly lifted herself into a handstand. It was rather impressive to see her do it from a seated position.

Izuku's eyebrow twitched. "Okay, now you're just showing off." He wasn't even ashamed to admit that he was checking her out at this point. Well, actually he would be terribly ashamed, and embarrassed. At the same time though: good god was she hot. And strong. He definitely had a type, he decided, admiring the vein running down her bicep.

"You know it." Still upside down, she saluted with one arm, and simply flipped to her feet. "'Kay, fine, I'll play your little game." Stretching, catlike, she brushed past him. "Better make it good though." She smirked over her shoulder.

Twenty minutes later and Izuku stood outside a little noodle stand, flexing One for All just below the level where he started arcing like a tesla coil. He went to text Rumi, but somehow, she beat him to the punch.

Hawks special

thanks 3

"Hawks' special?" He murmured. "What?" No way. At the counter Izuku peered up at the menu. Searching, he very nearly choked, because just under the All Might-y Combo Bowl he spotted the Hawks' Special: shio ramen with chicken, spring onion, and extra chewy noodles.

"I… I'm not sure what I expected." She really did keep surprising him at every turn. The real question though, was why, and also how was she able to track him so easily? Or… was she tracking One for All?

"Eh? You gonna order something or not?" The shop owner shook a ladle at Izuku.

"O-oh! Sorry, sir!" Izuku bowed frantically.

"Yeah, no offense, but you're a fuckin' terrible brawler."

Izuku moaned at her feet, curled up in a tight little ball.

She'd dropped him with a spear kick to the gut right at the start of their first match of the day. "You're way too small. Too light."

"Gee… thanks…" that defiant little flicker was in his eyes again. This was so much fun!

"Hey, you're the one who asked for an honest opinion of your abilities. In my official opinion – as the only licensed pro here – you're that one guy in every war movie that shows his buddy a picture of his girlfriend – me, in this case – and then dies like a bitch in the next scene."

"Not exactly… what I had in mind… when I asked… but okay." He levered himself up to his knees, green about the gills.

"I dunno how you realistically think you have a shot at winning the Sports Festival if you're gonna keep coming at me like this. Ooh? Gonna puke?" She waggled her eyebrows.

He grimaced. "No… No, I'm good."

Rumi clapped. "Good! Then we can go again."

Izuku paled noticeably.

"Hmm… you know, I'm thinking speed's more your game. On account of how scrawny and twitchy you are." She poked and prodded, riling him up. He rose to the challenge every time, more determined than the time before. Pushing too hard wasn't the name of the game though. Her primary goal was to protect him by teaching him to protect himself. So, she took great pains to balance pissing him off with encouragement and lessons where he had a fair chance of success. It was working out surprisingly well, actually!

"Dang," Ejiro whistled, "Midoriya is killing it today. What's got him so fired up?" Mr. Aizawa was running 1-A through another quirk apprehension test. He claimed it was to illustrate that improvement was a slow and steady process. Said it was to pop their egos before they did something unintelligent and illogical.

No one had really improved at all, which was to be expected. They'd only been at UA for two weeks. Midoriya though, he was demolishing all of his original scores, with the exception of the Ball Throw, which he did worse in, strangely enough. This time though, Mr. Aizawa didn't get all spooky with his capture ribbon and his glowing eyes, so maybe it was an improvement?

"As expected of our duly elected representative." Iida declared, standing tall. "Midoriya truly exemplifies the best of Class 1-A. We should all aspire to match his progress with our own development."

Yaoyorozu laughed politely behind her hand. "No idea really, but it's inspiring to watch." She delicately dabbed at her brow with a gym towel. She'd made one for each of them. That was Yaoyorozu for you, refined, but also thoughtful and generous. "I only wish I was advancing as quickly."

"Bro, mood. Watching this seriously sucks." Jiro groaned. "My quirk doesn't do shit when it comes to PE."

Hagakure sighed, watching Ashido effortlessly glide through the 50-meter dash. "Samesies."

"What do you think, dude?" He clapped Bakugo on the shoulder.

"Fuck if I know." He growled quietly.

Ejiro didn't miss how intently Bakugo watched Midoriya though. He hoped that whatever was going on between the two of them was settling. Bakugo seemed a bit less… explosive today, so maybe things were improving?

"The most important lesson of all is speed. Speed wins. Speed kills." Rumi harried Izuku, forcing him to give up ground rapidly. "The longer a fight lasts, the greater the chances of you getting your ass murdered." She swept his leg.

He hit the ground hard.

She dropped an axe kick on him before he could move, but halted it just a hairsbreadth from his throat. If she followed through, it would have crushed his windpipe, and possibly broken his neck.

He stared up, wide-eyed.

She felt a little bad, so she helped him up and gave him a quick peck. "End your fights fast, okay? That way I won't have to scrape you off the pavement and into a bucket. Now c'mon, lets go again! Oh, and if you can punch me in the face this time, I'll suck your dick." She doubled over, cackling, when he tripped over his own feet. A tempting reward never hurt.

Toshinori puttered around, dressed as a UA groundskeeper. Since the only course he taught was Foundational Hero Studies, and to preserve what embers remained of One for All, he'd taken to tending the campus grounds in his free time. He always did enjoy gardening, it was sometimes hard work, but it was always rewarding.

From a distance, he watched Class 1-A. They'd split off into pairs, sparring with their quirks. Young Midoriya made progress with One for All in leaps and bounds. It was astounding, and he was so incredibly proud of his young pupil.

"You've been helping Midoriya." Aizawa said plainly.

Toshinori jumped out of his skin and dropped his hedge shears. "Ah, Aizawa, you startled me."

"Answer the question."

Toshinori laughed awkwardly. "Err, I… didn't think it was one?"

"Fine. Have you been helping Midoriya outside of class, yes or no?" Aizawa seemed rather agitated.

With a concerned frown, Toshinori answered. "I did offer Young Midoriya my guidance before he took the entrance exam, that much is true. However, my interactions with the boy have been… limited as of late. Why? Is something wrong?" If there was a threat to the students, well… Toshinori couldn't do much about that. All Might could – and would – the instant villainy reared its ugly head, but right now he wasn't All Might. He was just Toshinori the Groundskeeper.

"I do not appreciate or tolerate favoritism, All Might. In any capacity. It elevates one student at the cost of depriving the rest. Often, it makes things worse for the one you're trying to help." The tall, slender man loomed, eyes flashing dangerously. "So help me god, All Might, if you've been playing favorites…"

Alarmed, Toshinori removed his work gloves and carefully grasped Aizawa's shoulders. "Aizawa, I beg you: please believe that I would never do anything to jeopardize even one student of UA. Intentionally or otherwise. I would sooner give my own life!"

"You'd better mean that," Aizawa plowed on, "because if Midoriya gets some damn fool notion of invincibility from you." He pointed towards his students, raw and angry. "If that boy dies, All Might…" He snarled quietly. "I will never forgive you."

Toshinori's understanding of who Aizawa was grew significantly in that moment, and it made his heart ache.

"Everything is a weapon. Hands, knees, teeth, everything." They sparred on a mat this time, practicing throws and takedowns. "That extends past your body too. Mastering a martial art is great, but ultimately meaningless when your opponent can just bash your head in with a brick. Or pull a gun." She feinted to the right.

Izuku shied back just enough to keep out of her arms, but otherwise held his ground.

"That's why you need to hone your situational awareness." She feinted low.

He inched back and to the left.

They played this game for a little while. She let Izuku think he was holding his ground. In reality, he was overly fixated on her movements. So much so that he let himself get backed into one of the corners of the mat.

"You have to know what's around you at all times. Ask yourself: what can you use to your advantage?"

He stepped back, and his bare foot touched concrete. He glanced down, briefly distracted by the change in texture, but snapped his eyes back up in an instant. He was getting better. Not good enough though.

Rumi hooked her own foot under the edge of the mat and lifted, while simultaneously swaying back.

Izuku took the bait and lunged. His right foot slid under the raised edge of the mat. He tripped, falling flat on his face.

Rumi crouched, grinning cheerfully. Hawks had pulled the exact same trick on her two years ago. It was fun being on the other end of it. "What can your opponent turn against you?"

He groaned into the rubberized canvas.

"Oh, Hi Asui- I mean Tsu." Izuku rubbed at his face, trying not to yawn. "Sorry," he said sheepishly, "I'm working on it."

Tsuyu smiled, setting down her lunch next to him. "It's okay, I know you're trying. Are you alright? You've seemed pretty tired lately."

He had to take a second – which he disguised as taking a bite of his lunch – to remind himself that Tsuyu was asking because she was a friend, and not because she was suspicious of anything Rumi related. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm okay, really! I guess I've just been sleeping… weird, since the USJ." He shrugged awkwardly, hoping that was enough to satisfy her curiosity.

"Oh, I hope it's nothing bad."

He shook his head, no, and in true Asui fashion she got straight to the next point. "Speaking of the USJ, I was wondering…" She hesitated.

Izuku may or may not have broken out in a cold sweat, mind running a mile a minute. Asui- Tsu had made a big breakthrough with her quirk at the USJ: She could turn herself mostly invisible. What if she'd seen him fighting Rumi? Or overheard them talking in the service tunnels? What if she saw them kissing? Don't freak out, don't freak out, don't freak-

"I was wondering if you'd give me some pointers on fighting."

With a hoarse "Yes!", he deflated. "Er, I mean, yeah, I don't mind." He rubbed at the back of his neck. If she didn't think anything weird was going on, then she probably did now. Or… maybe she just thought he was weird in general? Here's hoping. He gulped. "Why me though?"

"Well… you've been doing really well in Foundational Studies and Homeroom." Those were the two most physically demanding courses in 1-A's schedule, taught by Mr. Aizawa and All Might. Homeroom was mostly concerned with physical fitness and quirk development, while foundational studies was more about team combat and tactics. He'd been excelling in both – to his surprise – but credit for his progress definitely belonged to Rumi for all the help she'd given over the past few weeks. She was a great teacher!

"And some of us saw you punch the monster that All Might was fighting. That was really impressive."

The nerves came roaring back. What else had they seen!? "O-oh, well, that wasn't- uh, anything relating to skill. I just sort of panicked. The only reason I didn't blow my arm off was because of Nomu's shock absorption quirk." Breathe you moron! Calm. Down.

"I wish we got to see All Might win." She fidgeted, staring at her lunch, which she hadn't touched yet.

"You… didn't? H-hey, are you okay?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, we didn't. Right after we saw you the rest of the teachers arrived. They pulled us outside pretty quickly." She took a breath. "I'm fine, but… sometimes I see Nomu when I sleep… and I don't want to anymore. I was scared the whole time… and I didn't know if I was going to see my family again. I don't want to feel that way ever again." She sort of hugged herself, sniffling. "I think, that if I saw him win, then maybe I wouldn't still feel so scared."

"Woah," he said softly, "Tsu, hey. It's okay, I'm here." He slid over and lightly rubbed her back, just between her shoulder blades. Not wanting to overwhelm her, he didn't say anything more.

Big shiny tears plodded down Tsu's cheeks. She was so quiet.

"Hey guys! Ohh." Uraraka stopped in her tracks with Todoroki and Iida in tow.

Izuku glanced up. "Give us a minute, guys." He said it a bit more firmly than he meant to.

Uraraka was quick on the uptake. She shooed the boys – who looked largely confused - and the three of them claimed an empty table a couple of rows down.

'Thank you', he mouthed at them.

Uraraka smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Tsuyu blew her nose. "I'm sorry, Midoriya. I didn't mean to worry you."

"No, you don't need to apologize. Honestly, I thought I was going to die too." He grinned lamely. "Remember what Ashido said though? How it was super scary, but we all came out okay in the end?"

"I do," She nodded, and started picking at her lunch, "and thank you. It makes sense that you would be scared, but hearing you say it makes me feel less… alone, I think." She took a careful bite of her rice. "If it's not too much trouble, would you help me?"

Izuku envied how Tsuyu wore her heart on her sleeve without seeming to feel the slightest bit embarrassed, or even awkward, about what she was feeling. "Of course! I'd be happy to."

She smiled, relieved. "Thanks. I appreciate you, Midoriya." Tsu croaked faintly. "We should move to their table. It would be rude to ask them to come back here." She nodded over at the rest of their friends.

Izuku gathered up his tray without question. "Sure. Oh, and you can call me Izuku. If you want to, I mean."

"Can't use most of what I'm teaching you in the Sports Festival. Specifics, I mean. Go around snapping bones and breaking faces and you'll," Rumi paused to yawn, "probably get tossed into," another yawn, "into junior Tartarus." She smacked her lips quietly, snuggling into his shoulder.

He lay flat on his back in the Roost, on a mat that was somewhat comfortable.

Rumi decided it was naptime and draped herself over him.

"Well, yeah. I hadn't been planning on crippling anyone." Izuku laughed softly, slowly stroking her hair. "But I imagine the foundations are applicable to pretty much anything."

She hummed something agreeable, and that was the end of it. She was out like a light.

It was barely five in the afternoon. The initial worry he felt when he she admitted to getting – at most – four hours of sleep a night just got worse and worse. She looked exhausted every time he saw her, with perpetual dark circles beneath her eyes. He gingerly kissed her temple. "I will help you fix this. I'm here. Everything will be okay, I promise."

Rumi nuzzled against him, murmuring in her sleep.

When Izuku showed up at the Roost on the Saturday before the Sports Festival, Rumi wasn't dressed in her usual workout attire. Instead, she wore a baggy sweater – one of his – with her long hair in a lazy shoulder braid and touches of makeup on her face. She looked good. Really good.

Curiously, she kept her hands behind her back. She shifted a bit and he heard the distinct ruffling of tissue paper. "Hey, so I was thinking. Since the Festival starts next week, why don't we take the day off. Just sorta… hang out?"

"That sounds great!" He smiled, dropping his bag by the door. "I could use a little break anyway. Did you have something in mind already?"

She chewed her lip, looking off to the side. "Yeah, but first I uh… got you something."

A gift? "Oh? What is it?" Despite parents who worked in the fashion industry and her design hobbies, Rumi wasn't a very materialistic person. She wasn't usually big on gifts, so this had to be something special then. Especially since her ears were twitching up a storm.

She scuffed her shoe on the floor. "C-close your eyes." Her cheeks took on a faint pinkness.

"Oh! Um, okay."

"You can't laugh, got it?"

Izuku protested: he would never laugh, especially not at something that seemed so important to her.

Rumi shut him down fast. "Oi! Eyes closed!"

"S-sorry, they're closed, they're closed!" He waived his hands a bit frantically. He wasn't trying to peek, it was just reflex! The paper crinkled again, and Izuku faintly smelled something sweet.

"Alright. You can look now… I guess." She grumbled. Rumi held a bouquet of flowers. Red and pink camellias sat happily in a wrap of yellow tissue paper, with a sprinkling of small, blue, five petaled flowers that he didn't recognize.

Izuku gasped, gingerly taking them. "Oh, wow." Rumi got him flowers. His heart was about to break through his ribcage.

She fidgeted, tugging lightly at one of her ears. "I just… I dunno… Boys don't ever get flowers, and that sucks, so I just though… It's stupid, I know." She rubbed at her forehead. "Fuck," she muttered, "this was a terrible idea." She looked utterly humiliated.

That was wrong though, that was all wrong! This was an amazing gift, and he was so completely floored that someone had even gone through the effort for him. "They're perfect, this was a great idea!"

Red in the face, she glared through her fingers. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

He carefully pulled her into a one-armed hug. "I'm not laughing."

"Better not be." She threw her arms around his neck and hid her face.

"This is the nicest, sweetest, most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. I think this might even be the best gift I've ever gotten in my life. I love them, thank you." He watched, fascinated as the soft skin on the inside of her ears grew bright cherry red. Though he couldn't see it, he imagined her face was the exact same color.

"Oh, fuck." she hissed into his collarbone.

Alarmed, Izuku tried to let go. "D-did I say something wrong?"

She hopped up, snaring his waist with her legs, clinging like a limpet. "No! You idiot!" Rumi pulled him into a long kiss. "Why couldn't you just be," she kissed his cheeks, "a douche and tell me," his nose, "some half assed lie," and his throat, "to make me feel better?"

"I don't understand at all." Carefully, confusedly, he hugged her again, while trying not to drop her or damage the flowers. His flowers.

"Lie detector, remember?" She swiped at the moisture on her cheek, laughing. "You just had to go straight for the fuckin' heart. Now I'm leaking. My makeup is trashed. You've just, god, you completely ruined me!" She hopped down and burrowed into his chest. "Jerk."

"Oh… oh thank god." Slowly, the bewilderment faded, leaving Izuku beaming. He nudged her in the ribs. "You scared the hell out of me. I thought I made you cry!"

Rumi turned her head just enough that he could see a single red eye, glinting mischievously behind a happy, unshed, tear. "Well, actually…"

"Seriously?" He grabbed her by the ears and tugged upwards gently. "I get why your mom calls you a brat now."

Instead of the reaction he expected, she bit her lip and arched her back, moaning.

Izuku let go immediately, stammering a weak apology. This girl was going to be the death of him, he just knew it.

Authors Note:

In case it wasn't clear, Rumi spent a couple days a week coaching Izuku for the month between the USJ and the Sports Festival. Admittedly, I kind of got lazy and didn't really specify, but she was being careful about scheduling so Izuku wouldn't be missed by his mother.

Since this is Rumi's story, and I have plans for her outside of Musutafu in Chapter 20, we aren't going to spend much time on the Sports Festival. We'll see the most important parts, but only as they pertain to Izuku.

And All Might :^) :^) :^)

Also, buy flowers for your boys.