It had been so long since he'd been on an academic schedule, that Percy had forgotten how exhausting it could be. Although, in his defense, he'd never had classes with the kind of…characters, that he did now. Mandalay was normal enough, for a cat-girl superhero, and Ragdoll was such an innocent little soul that Percy didn't think it was possible to be annoyed by her constant cheer.

Pixie-Bob on the other hand…

Percy wasn't vain by nature, but he knew he was fairly attractive. It had annoyed the hades out of Annabeth when they visited each other in college, but godly genes were powerful, and eye-catching. That and when you went through puberty with children of Aphrodite and dryads and nymphs and other sexual creatures…well you learn things.

What he was trying to say was that he was familiar when someone was coming onto him.

But Pixie-Bob took that shit to an all-time level. It was flattering in a way, and it wasn't that she wasn't attractive. Blonde, leggy, smarter than him and able to kick his ass was literally his only type-but gods be damned the woman came on strong.

If it wasn't a thinly-veiled innuendo, then it was a poorly concealed attempt to feel him up.

Again, rather flattering, but unwelcome physical attention was obnoxious no matter who you were, and Percy was nowhere near the right headspace yet for any form of relationship; physical or otherwise.

Then there was Tiger.

Tiger was intense. Not in a Pixie-Bob way, thank god, but in an, "If you answer this question wrong, I will try and punch you," kind of way. Knowing that Percy could give better than he got didn't seem to be a deterrence in the slightest.

So, it was no small amount of relief when it was time for his first real morning classes to be over, since the day before had been an utter wash, and he was on his way to the A-1 homeroom. He just hoped that whatever training they had planned for the day wouldn't be too trying. After classes had finished the day before, he'd had his first trip to the school's state-of-the-art gym.

Damn.

Having machines that could actually make him strain was a novel experience, but a more than welcome one. For the first time since he was a kid, he had woken up that morning feeling sore from a workout. It had been a delightfully satisfying experience.

But also, a painful reminder that he was still fairly out of shape. Mind, out of shape for a demigod son of one of the most powerful beings in existence was still more than above what any mortal could hope to achieve without genetic augmentations. But the fact remained that he was slower, weaker, and could not go for nearly as long as he'd once been able to. But he was bound and determined to change that. If for no other reason than it was a welcome distraction from the still gnawing guilt that seemed persistent to saddle itself in his chest on a daily basis.

He took his seat behind Yaoyorozu only moments before Aizawa scuttled into the room in his sleeping bag.

He stepped out, pulling a stack of papers from the confines of the bag. Percy was not unconvinced that the bag was not a support item he'd had created specifically as a teaching aid.

"After reviewing the footage and reading over All Might's critiques from yesterday's exercises, for the most part your performances were acceptable." Aizawa said from his place at the podium at the front of the room.

"Bakugo," He said, getting the hot-head's attention, "I'm going to reiterate what Jackson told you yesterday. You have talent, but you need to get your ego and attitude under control. Stop sulking and grow up, you're not in middle school anymore. Midoriya," the green-haired glass canon bowed his head, as though preparing to be struck, "Get your quirk under control, or leave. You have power, and you have potential, but we won't have a use for you if your body breaks down every time you throw a punch." Then the bastard had the audacity to smirk in Percy's direction, "See if Jackson has any recommendations for you,"

Percy just glared at the man, clearly, he had noticed, or had been told, that he was All Might's unofficial teaching assistant.

"Now," he said shifting gears, "Today you will have to decide on something that could potentially decide your future as students…"

Gods above did the man have to make everything overly dramatic?

Percy could almost see the palpable tension in the room, as the students prepared themselves for what they believed was going to be another pass or be expelled type of exam.

"You need to decide on your class representatives." And just like that, the tension evaporated. The kids immediately started talking over each other all at once,

"I wanna be president! Lemme do it!" Kirishima said, jumping excitedly.

"The position was made for me," Aoyama chimed in, twinkling in his seat.

"I'd like to do it too…"

"I wanna be a leader!"

"In my administration, girls will have to show at least 30 cm of thigh!

Percy felt like smacking the kid with the balls, Mineta for the final comment. In the few days he had been unfortunate enough to know him, it had become painfully clear that he was a lecherous creep of the highest order.

Percy just settled his head in his arms on his desk, and prepared to ride out the inevitable storm. He had less than no desire for whatever the hell a class representative was. It seemed like someone who was meant to be stupidly involved, and he just wanted to be left to his own devices to train and fight.

"Are you not interested Percy?" Yaoyorozu asked, causing Percy to look up curiously. The girl seemed to have finally gotten over her embarrassment for the first day, had taken to talking to him fairly regularly. Not that he really minded, but he wasn't exactly vocal with his support of attention in any variety.

"Not in the least." He said, as Iida lectured about something at the front of the room, "Seems like a lot of hassle, and I think my attentions would be better suited elsewhere."

She raised an eyebrow at that, "I assume then, that you don't know the role of a class rep, and more importantly how it can affect your future pro-career?"

Percy just gave her a confused look, so she explained, "A lot of Pro-Agencies, especially the more well-known ones, look at more than just your academic career. Many agencies will often offer more lucrative positions to class reps, and those involved in similar extra-curricular activities. They're viewed as evidence of a hero in training's ability to both lead, and effectively manage time and resources. Both of which are important attributes for pro heroes." she lectured.

Percy was certain the woman had been a teacher in a past life.

Percy just shrugged, "If no one wants me, then I'll just pull Miruko and start my own agency. But I think I'll be ok. Leadership isn't my thing."

Tokoyami, who Percy was quickly realizing had a bad habit of eavesdropping, snorted in amusement.

"Got something to say Batman?" Percy asked, and the bird-headed boy looked at him curiously, not understanding the reference,

"You are a natural leader. To say otherwise illustrates an astounding level of stupidity, or willful ignorance. You possess neither of those traits." he said simply, and Percy just blinked at him.

"I literally have no idea how to respond to that," thankfully the discussion was cut short, as it was announced they would be having elections for the position. Percy smiled, perfect. Everybody would vote for themselves then, and he would just vote for Iida or something, since the kid clearly wanted the job so badly.

He was in the clear.

BREAK

"What the shit you guys?"

Not only had he gotten votes, he'd gotten thirteen of them! More than half of the fucking class had voted him into the position, with Yaoyorozu coming in a negligible second, placing her in the position of deputy, or vice president, or whatever the hades it was.

"C'mon man," Kirishima said with an ear to ear grin, "Like we'd vote for anyone else," he then noticed the way Yaoyorozu seemed to deflate a little, "Eh…no offense Yaoyorozu!" he added hastily,

"None taken," She sighed out, before giving Percy a shy grin, "Besides, I voted for you too,"

"Yeah teacher's pet, how is this surprising? Especially with the way you took over the lessons yesterday." Jiro said cheekily,

"Joan, I swear to the gods," Percy grumbled out,

"Those who wish to rule should inherently not, but those with the ability to lead, without the desire, are the most capable." Tokoyami preached from the back,

Percy glared at him, "Et tu Brute?" he snarked back, but Tokoyami just smirked, which was impressive with a beak when Percy thought about it.

"Alright, enough playing around," Aizawa said, still in his sleeping bag, forcing him to hop over to Percy and Yaoyorozu, and he handed them each a stack of papers, "You're first representative meeting will be today after school in room 3-A," He then grinned nastily at Percy, "I think you're already familiar with it Jackson."

Percy glared at him, "I think I'm beginning to hate you,"

"It's mutual," he said, slinking out of the room, "Class Dismissed."

Percy watched him waddle out, "Anybody notice that we never actually really do anything in this class?" he asked, and Yaoyorozu just giggled.

"Whatever," Percy sighed, heading back to his desk to gather his things, "I'm going to go get lunch."

BREAK

"You know," said Jiro, idly twirling a jack around her finger as she nonchalantly scooped food into her mouth, "I never would have guessed that the class' wonder-boy's only weakness would be a pair of chopsticks, and yet here we are."

"Really feelin' the love there Joan," Percy grumbled as he struggled with the damnable implements from the pits of hades. He'd been in Japan for months, but for the life of him, he still couldn't figure out how to make the damn things work. Yaoyorozu just calmly reached over and adjusted his grip on the utensils for him,

"I've been meaning to ask, why do you call Jiro, Joan?" she asked, as she fished around her own bowl of steamed rice, one hand still correcting Percy's grip. With her help, he finally managed to get a scoopful of his lunch. Percy grunted a soft thanks, and chewed his food before answering.

"It's 'cause she's got the whole punk-rock thing going for her. It reminds me of Joan Jett, a singer from before even I was born." He then looked across at the girl in question, "By the way, you take my advice yet?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah dude, thanks for the recommendation. Totally my vibe."

Percy hummed, and Tokoyami, who was sat in between Jiro and Shoji at the end of the bench, spoke up, "Why do you refer to me as Batman?" Percy was too busy still trying to feed himself to say anything, so with his free hand, he just dug in his pocket for his phone. He pulled up a picture and slid the phone across the table, as the others leaned over to take a look. "Ah," The Tokoyami said after a moment. "Fitting, indeed."

"Must you have nicknames for everyone?" Yaoyorozu sighed softly, once again absentmindedly adjusting his grip, "It feels a little disrespectful," Percy just looked at her indignantly, and pointed at Jiro,

"Don't see you giving her any guff about her nicknames," Yaoyorozu had the audacity to smirk at him,

"She's not class rep,"

Percy glared at her and opted not to respond. Shifting his glare over to Shoji, as one of his two mouths-he was eating with the other-laughed. To his credit, the multi-armed boy met his glare evenly, and eventually Percy relented.

"Besides," Percy finally said, "At least my names come from a place of respect, if you should be yelling at anyone, you should be yelling at Bakugo."

Yaoyorozu and the others at the table all looked immediately uncomfortable, "He troubles me," Yaoyorozu admitted as she lifted another bite to her mouth,

"Something ain't right with that dude," Jiro agreed, "Guy genuinely looked like he was trying to kill Midoriya yesterday,"

"His actions are indeed troubling," said Tokoyami, "But if he is here, then he must have passed the psychological evaluation for admittance. That or the teachers thought they could curb his attitude,"

"I'm more interested in whatever his issue is with Midoriya," Shoji mused, "Granted, Midoriya's got a powerful quirk, but the poor guy shakes like a leaf whenever you even look at him."

Percy snorted, "Honestly, Midoriya impresses the hell out of me," That got everyone's attention,

"Why?" Yaoyorozu asked, genuinely confused, "Sure he's got a powerful quirk, but it's useless if he can only use it once before he breaks down,"

"Besides, like Shoji said, the dude has like, no backbone." Jiro commented,

"It does seem odd for someone with a disposition such as his to attempt to become a hero," Tokoyami commented,

"Any of you guy's every broken a bone?" Percy asked casually, and Shoji and Jiro nodded, "How much that hurt?" he asked,

"Hurt like a bitch," Jiro said, and Percy almost snorted at the way Yaoyorozu flinched at the course language,

"Agreed," said Shoji, "Had an arm broken in a martial arts competition when I was younger. Even sleeping hurt,"

Percy nodded, "Imagine that happening every time you used your quirk, yet still having the mental fortitude and drive to continue to use it, even knowing the effect that it has on your body." The others all looked contemplative at that, "Then there's what he pulled during the quirk assessment, ya'll remember?"

"He broke his finger," Yaoyorozu said, then a look of dawning comprehension appeared on her face, "And then he finished the last three tests without having it fixed," She grew uncomfortable, "I…might have been touch hasty in my judgement of him." she admitted and the others at the table agreed with her.

"Though something Bakugo said before Midoriya's throw has kind of stuck with me," Percy admitted, "He said that Midoriya was quirkless, so either the kid was a very, very late bloomer, or he has literally never been able to use his quirk, and I'm betting, given the way he's approached his training, that it's the former. Which begs the question, why isn't one of the teachers offering him some help? If he's enrolled in the school, shouldn't one of the teachers be like, I don't know, trying to help him get that shit under control? That's literally their job,"

The others didn't really have an answer to that, though Yaoyorozu looked like she wanted to comment, but couldn't when suddenly a loud bell began ringing and a modulated voice blared over the speakers.

"Warning: Level Three Security Breach. All students, please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."

"What the hell is going on?" Jiro shouted over the din, as students immediately disregarded the command for calm, and begin scrambling and screaming, as they moved in a mad dash to try and get out of the building.

"It's the school's defense system," Percy said, his expression hardening as he stood from his place, his gaze flickering over the hysterical mass of students. "All of you stick together, grab hold of one another and stay close," he ordered. Shoji, who had stood with Percy, extended his limbs behind him, creating hands for the others to latch onto, as he grabbed onto Percy's shoulder to follow as he led the way into the mass of stampeding students.

They only made it as far as the hallway outside of the cafeteria before they became pressed on all sides. Thankfully, due to Shoji's ironclad grip, Percy's kids were able to stick together, even as Percy was pressed painfully up against a far wall. Percy could see that some students had fallen, and were being trampled on, as the mob of panicking students hurried to try and evacuate to safety.

Percy was, once again, thankful for his massive frame, as he towered over the other students, and was able to act as something of a barrier between himself, and the other kids under his charge. Shoji's hand on his shoulder wrapped him softly on the head and Percy turned to look at the mask-wearer, who simply pointed over the heads of the students, to a frantic looking Iida.

He was on the other side of the hall, and was jumping in place, pressed against the windows, trying to get Percy's attention. He was trying to shout something, but Percy couldn't hear what he was saying. Turning, he looked down at Jiro, and made a snap decision. Reaching through the throngs of students, he picked her up from the back of her uniform, and lifted her in the air, ignoring her squawk of protest and alarm at so suddenly being manhandled. He turned her in Iida's direction, and she caught on to what he was doing. She listened for a seconds before looking back down at Percy,

"He's saying it's just the press," Percy nodded and shot the eccentric blue-haired teen a thumbs up, to show that he got the message. Percy placed Jiro down in front of him, and guided her gently behind him, so Shoji could wrap a large arm through her elbow.

"Cover your ears," he ordered her, and gave Shoji a look, who nodded his understanding back at him. Looking up, Percy could see that there were spaces above the windows in the hallway, wide enough that he could stand on, he then looked down the hall and saw the exit sign over the doorway leading to the outside. Forming a quick plan, Percy leaped into the air, landing gracefully on one of the ledges, before taking a second jump over the mob of panicking students. Landing on the sign, he had to hunch over slightly, so as not to knock his head on the pipe dangling from the ceiling.

Reaching out with both hands, he channeled some divine essence, and clapped once, the sound reverberating across the hall like a clap of thunder. At once, the students fell silent, and stopped trying to trample one another. Wrapping one large hand around the pipe above him, Percy leaned outward so he was able to fully stand up, and loom over the students below him.

"All of you calm down and listen up!" He commanded, "It's not a villain attack, it's the press. They managed to get through and set off the school's security systems. So stop acting like a bunch of children, and start acting like the young adults you are. You're students at one of the most prestigious hero academies on the planet, with more heroes around you and in the city to be protect you, than anywhere in the country! Now all of you, slowly, and calmly, get into three lines, and in an orderly fashion exit the building. Anybody who tries anything stupid, will have to deal with me." He channeled some essence into his eyes and forced them to glow ominously as a soft breeze picked up in the hall. "Understand me?" There were a few scatterings of understanding, so Percy shouted louder, "Do you understand me?!"

"YES SIR!" was the immediate reply, as the students began organizing themselves. In a matter of moments there were three neat, and orderly lines of students. Those who had fallen and were trampled had been helped off the floor, "Anybody who was run over, get yourself to the nurses office and get yourself checked out, the rest of you, MARCH!" The response was instantaneous, as the students began obediently and calmly exiting the building.

As she passed under him, Yaoyorozu gave him the smuggest looking grin he had ever seen. Percy just rolled his eyes, and maintained his post, waiting until the last of the students had filed out of the building.

BREAK

The rest of the day, thankfully, passed by without further incident. Percy spent the rest of the afternoon working with Yaoyorozu to select their other student representative positions. It was a relatively painless afternoon, if a little tedious. But after the insanity that had been the last couple months of his life, Percy welcomed the seemingly mundane return to normality. It was nice to know that even if the world was teensiest bit out of its gourd, there was still a place for the regular activities of a high school.

Percy and Yaoyorozu entered the classroom that was designated for their representative meeting. Percy chuckled in amusement, at seeing that it hadn't been repaired from his little skirmish yet, as there was still a chunk of ceiling missing, According to the paper Aizawa had given him, it was just a simple meet and greet with the other reps, as well as their upperclassmen, who would give them a greater outline of the duties and responsibilities of their new position. Percy also had the thoroughly unwelcome revelation that apparently those chosen to be student reps in the first year, usually maintained the position throughout their academic career.

Taking a seat, Percy saw a couple of other students had already arrived, even though they were several minutes early still. Percy smiled to himself, when he spotted a familiar head of orange hair.

"Hey, big hands," he called out, grabbing the girl's attention. For a split second, she seemed annoyed by the name, until she turned and saw that it was Percy who called out. Her face broke out into a beaming grin and she walked over.

"Hey there kill-stealer" she said with a cheeky grin, as she slugged him playfully on the arm, "Good to see you,"

"Good to see you too, knew you'd make it in. By the way," he extended his hand, "Percy Jackson, call me Percy, I don't think we actually introduced ourselves last time," He said with a smile,

"Kendo Itsuka, you can call me Itsuka, and no you're right. Was a little preoccupied with you tearing every muscle in your arm, ya big goof."

Percy just chuckled awkwardly and scratched behind his ear. Yaoyorozu looked strangely between Percy and Itsuka, "You two know each other," she asked, pointing between them,

"Yeah," Percy said, "Met during the exam, and teamed up against the zero-pointer,"

Itsuka scoffed, "Teamed-up he says. More like you beat the heck out of a robot the size of a mountain, while I just evacuated people." Then she gave him a genuine smile, "But, I'm glad you're here, I've been meaning to find you and thank you. You got me an extra twenty-five points on the exam!" She said, pumping her arm up excitedly,

"That's all you, kiddo," Percy said, uncomfortable with the thanks, "You're the one who got those kids out, not me."

She rolled her eyes, "Just take the thank you, man. I was fully prepared to run away before you stopped me."

"Kendo! Get away from that shameful Class 1-A swine! Especially that tall one, he'll try and steal your innocence!" Itsuka pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed in utter exasperation.

"I'm sorry about him, that's Monoma he's-"

"Did he just imply I was going to rape you?" Percy asked, his tone icy, as he turned a glare on the thin, blonde boy at the other end of the room, "Cause it sure as hell sounded like it," he stood and moved to brush past the girls, who spluttered in alarm, but stopped when a blue-haired pixie appeared inches from his face.

"Nejire," Percy said sighed, his anger and annoyance melting away at her sudden appearance,

"Percy," She cheered back, "Saying names is fun. What are you doing here? Oh! Are you a student rep? That's so exciting wait!" She crossed her arms and floated away, landing on the floor and pouting, "No, I'm not being nice to you. I'm mad at you!" She said pointing an accusatory finger at him, "Why didn't you text me? Did our time together mean nothing to you? I thought what we had was special?"

Percy heard Yaoyorozu choke behind him, but groaned at the phrasing, then glared, when he saw the mischievous glint int he blue-eyed girl's eyes. Oh, so she wasn't nearly the innocent little pixie-girl he'd thought her to be. Well then, two could play at that game,

He shrugged, "I don't know what to tell ya babe," He said, and she squeaked in surprise at the name, "I guess I just thought you weren't interested, after all, we weren't together all that long, and I could have sworn that I came up…short,"

Yaoyorozu was stammering incoherently behind him, and out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Itsuka was blushing fiercely. Looking back at Nejire, the girl managed not to blush as the mischievous gleam magnified. She was enjoying the hell out of this,

"Well you're right, it didn't last nearly as long as I would have liked, we barely even got to do anything before you had to go!"

Yaoyorozu finally seemed to get herself under control as she came to up his side, "Percy!" She said, a hot flush coloring her face, "I-I understand you're a grown man, and-and you're perfectly welcome to have r-r-relation with whomever! But you-you can't b-be doing," she gesticulated wildly in the air for a second, "That with just anyone! And you c-certainly s-shouldn't be talking about it so-so brazenly!"

Percy just laughed, and patted her reassuringly on the arm, "Relax Yaoyorozu, just having a little fun is all. I can assure you that nothing of the sort happened, Nejire here is just trying to embarrass me is all. We met before the entrance exam with some of her friends and we talked for a bit, that's all."

Nejire's pout returned full force and stomped her foot lightly on the ground in a huff, "Well that's no fun when you stop so soon."

"Oh," Percy said, unable to keep the sly grin off his face, "I promise you, I can go a lot longer than that. I've been doing a lot of…endurance training lately." He finished with a wink. This time, he did succeed in getting a blush out of the girl, and he chuckled happily when she cried out in defeat.

"Seriously though Percy, I'm mad at you!" She said again, a little more seriously, "I told you to call us to hang out and you never did, why not?!"

Percy uncomfortably rubbed at a spot behind his ear, "Sorry Nejire, but there was a lot going on. I was pretty busy getting stuff together for school, and because of all that stuff with the press, the principal had me on house arrest. I didn't leave my apartment the entire week." It was a lie, even if only a partial one. Truth was, he had been a little lonely, and had thought about having the three teens over to his apartment to hang out, but it had felt…wrong. Since his outburst with Mandalay, he knew it was because of his own guilt and insecurities coming to roost, but he wasn't about to admit that.

Nejire deflated slightly, as she frowned in understanding, "Oh," She said, "I forgot about all of that; you were kinda popular there for a few weeks. Guess it makes sense that you weren't allowed to leave." The she brightened, and once again was in his personal space, "But, since you're here now, that means you get to hang out with us after the meeting, Mirio, Amajiki, and I have plans after and you're coming with." she said with a tone of finality. Percy thought for half a second about refusing the order, because it wasn't a suggestion, but she looked so earnest and excited that Percy couldn't bring himself to refuse.

"Yeah, sure Nejire," he said with a soft smile,

She squealed in excitement, before glancing at the clock on the wall, and bounding away without another word.

"W-who was that?" Yaoyorozu asked nervously from his side,

"That was hurricane Nejire, I assume if she's here she's one of the third-year reps." he answered, before looking at the clock himself, and motioning to the girls that they should take their seats. He took his seat, and caught the eye of Mirio, who he shouldn't have been surprised was the other rep. He returned the wave the cartoon-character gave him and settled in for the meeting trying not to fall asleep in his chair.

It had indeed been a meet and greet, and general introduction to the roles and responsibilities of their position. They would meet before classes twice a week; once at the start of the week and once at the end. They would issue proposals or grievances by their class members, as well as select proposals that were meant to be meted out by the student body as whole, to present to the staff and principal Nezu. All in all, it sounded like a shit-ton of work and Percy was not looking forward to it, but there was no real backing out now. The younger officers would also receive additional reading materials on leadership training and advice, so that was exciting.

The meeting lasted just shy of an hour, and Percy was rather proud that he managed to stay awake and semi-coherent for most of it. Nejire did have a bad habit of going off on long-winded tangents, but the tag-team of Percy and Mirio managed to get her back on track most of the time.

Percy bid his classmate goodbye and waited behind for Nejire and Mirio. He might not have necessarily wanted to hang out, but he wasn't going to back out just because of his personal insecurities.

"Percy!" Nejire called out, bustling over to his side, and grabbing his arm and dragging him out of his chair, "C'mon,"

Mirio just laughed happily as he matched their pace, "I think he can walk on his own Nejire," he said, and she released his arm, "How's it going buddy?" Mirio asked, his ever-present grin plastered on his cheeks, "Having a good first week?"

Percy shrugged noncommittally, "It's been different to be sure. Nothing like my last high school experience."

Mirio nodded in understanding, "Yeah U.A. is really different, but I love it. Can't imagine being anywhere else!"

Percy chuckled at the utter delight in the young man's voice, "So where are we going exactly,"

"It's a surprise!" Nejire said,

"Why?" he asked,

"Because surprises are fun," She said like it was the simplest thing in the world. "Now hurry up!" She said as she upped her pace to a borderline sprint, leaving Percy and Mirio in the dust.

Mirio just cackled merrily, and followed with a shout of "POWER!", shaking his head Percy just followed, easily matching their pace.

BREAK

The 'surprise' as it turned out, was just that the three had rented out time at one of the gyms and a volleyball net, with the ever nervous looking Amajiki skulking in the corner of the gym. Apparently, Nejire was far more devious than she'd let on. She had grown tired of waiting for Percy to get ahold of the trio, so she had rented out the space under his name, and was planning on kidnapping him after school. The thought that he might have disappeared after their meeting, or not have been a rep never occurred to her, he assumed. Or maybe she just planned on hunting him down afterward.

Apparently, there was very little that could keep Nejire from something when she wanted it.

That was how Percy spent the next two hours of his time. Playing some of the most intense volleyball he'd ever played in his entire time. Even without using their quirks, it was readily apparent that even the meek looking Amajiki was in beyond stellar physical shape. In spite of himself, Percy quickly lost himself in the competitive nature and having a good time. It had easily been some of the most fun he'd had since coming to this time.

It wasn't as though he was trying to not enjoy himself, it was just that every time he did, that monster named guilt would rear its ugly head in the pit of his stomach, and he had to devote all of his energy into not having some kind of twisted downward spiral. But there, in the gym, with the two excitable third-years, and even a shockingly competitive Amajiki, Percy never noticed that feeling in his stomach.

For two brief hours, Percy was just a nineteen-year-old having fun. Hanging out with new friends; joking, laughing and playing. Leaving the locker room, redressed in his partial school uniform, Percy felt lighter than he'd felt in a very long time. He was surprised to see Nejire, already changed and waiting for him. He had thought that she would have left already, the three supposedly had internships every night with some of the top pro-agencies, and Mirio and Amajiki had already left.

"Hey," he said, walking up to the girl, who was bouncing on her heels slightly, as she smiled up at him,

"Hi!" she said back cheerily,

Percy began walking, with the bluenette matching his steps, "What are you still doing here? I would have thought you'd have taken off for your internship by now?"

"Oh, Ryukyu doesn't usually expect me until a little later anyway. Besides, I wanted to see how you're doing."

"How do you mean?" Percy asked warily, stopping short.

Nejire matched him, and looked back at him, "It's in the eyes, you know?" she said, throwing him off,

"What? What's in the eyes?" he asked,

"You hide it pretty well, but we receive training at the end of second year to spot trauma, so we know what signs to look for. It's good for talking down potential high-risk villains, but it's also a check put in place for heroes, since the job can be so harrowing." She said ignoring him, and Percy felt a pit start to grow in his stomach, he knew where this was going, and it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have.

"Nejire," he said slowly, his voice low and soft. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have today,

"I'm not going to ask you to talk to me about it, Percy. I know you're probably pretty guarded, that you've put up some walls, you know, to try and protect yourself? Easier not to lose anyone else if you don't get close enough to lose them, right?" Nejire said, her voice equally soft, again ignoring him.

He didn't bother correcting her that, that assessment wasn't wholly accurate. But it also wasn't IN-accurate either.

"I just wanted to tell you, that for everything you're going through. You don't need to go through it alone. And you don't need to shut everyone out. I know we don't really know each other yet, but it's a hero's job to protect people. Especially someone who's hurting, so I'm going to protect you, even if you don't want me to," She said, a large, bright smile on her face, before she moved forward and wrapped her arms around his chest in a tight embrace.

For a long second, Percy didn't move, didn't breathe. He was too stunned. Stunned by the type of people he was surrounded with. He had known a lot of compassionate people in his life, people who went out of their way to help. But he'd never met so many, in such a short span of time. The Cat's hadn't even had a real conversation with him, and they'd managed to dig up all of his insecurities and worries in less than an hour. Now, here was a girl, that he'd only spoken to once, and she was pledging to be there for him. To be a friend, and confidant. To guide him through the pain and suffering in his heart, and give him the tools to heal.

It was touching beyond words.

And it warred with the guilt inside of him.

But Percy was a fighter, and he refused to keep allowing himself to submit. If Percy continued down his chosen path, then he'd all but let Kronos win, he'd have gotten the better of him. And Percy refused to let that bastard take anything else away from him. So, he wrapped his arms around Nejire's smaller frame, and allowed himself the comfort of knowing that he wouldn't be alone.

He still was uncomfortable with letting people in. The fear of losing more, the fear of betraying the others still all too present in his heart. But as he held the kind andgentle hearted girl in his arms, the faces of the others he'd come to know flashed in his eyes. Of Yaoyorozu, Shoji, Tokoyami, Jiro, Tsu and Kirishima, and all the others in his class. The one's who looked to him for guidance and leadership. To be an example, leader, and a friend.

He thought of the Cats, and their drive to help him heal and adjust to the world he had found himself trapped in.

He thought of Miruko, and his promise to make amends, and his desire to help fix the damage he had done.

He realized with a start that he wanted to mend those bridges, he wanted to be the man that these people all thought that he was.

He just needed to prove it to himself that he deserved it first.

AN: Nothing stands between Nejire and getting what she wants. Lest ye be warned. Fun little chapter, seemingly filler, but actually fairly important to the end of this arc. Set's Percy up firmly as the defacto leader of the classroom. The one people are going to turn to in case of an emergency. I position he doesn't want, but is unequivocally suited for. Next chapter? USJ arc. Get ready…things get very, very ugly…

As always, thanks for the love and support! You guys have been incredible, and I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. I have only a few more chapters left of the one's I've stocked up before I need to start writing on this again, but it's well worth it. This has grown in popularity faster than any other story I've written I think. Anyhoo, stay safe, and stay lovely.

Love,

LilDB