The bus ride to Tenya's house had been longer than Fey had expected. It's at this point that she realized how long of a detour Iida had been taking to walk her to her home after school these past few weeks and she couldn't help but feel special in a way. He had gone through such lengths to ensure her safety and was still actively doing so now. It made her feel like maybe she didn't have to face any of this alone anymore...

The bus pulled up to a long street with barely any houses. The residences that were there were situated on incredibly large lots, larger than any Fey had ever seen. There were trees and greenery everywhere. A vastly different environment from the concrete jungles she had been used to all of her life. Tenya ushered her out of the bus, walking with her towards one of the more modern homes. They stopped at the gate and Fey couldn't help but stare in awe at the sheer size of the lot. Vast, lush gardens dotted the landscape around this modern mansion. It was like Fey had been transported into one of those fancy real estate adverts. Everything was in pristine condition wherever she looked. While she contemplated the area around the house through the bars of the gate, Iida held up his watch in front of a panel nearby, which sent a signal that opened the gates for them. He motioned her to step in front of him and closed the gates behind them, before moving to make his way towards the house.

"Tenya this is..." Fey had trouble forming words at this point. "This is... incredible!"

He laughed slightly, expecting this kind of reaction from her. Not that he was one to boast, but he was quite proud of his family's accomplishments. He continued to lead her through the front courtyard, passing next to a large fountain to get to the front entrance.

"It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Iida Family Estate," he said solemnly. "Right this way."

He opened the door for you and Fey braced herself for what she was going to find inside. As expected, the interior of the house was as immaculate as the outside. rich, dark colored wood ran the entire length of the house, as the walls were also lined with dark wooden panels. The main entrance was directly connected to a long corridor that spanned the entire length of the house, leading off towards a staircase that probably led to the second floor. Fey stepped forward, completely awestruck by what she was seeing.

"Wow..." she simply said, having nothing better to say in that particular moment.

Iida took off his shoes as she looked around, then approached her from behind and slid his hand on the small of her back.

"I hope it feels as welcoming to you as it does to me," he said softly, taking her chin in between his fingers before leaning in for a kiss.

His forwardness surprised her, but she gladly let it happen as she leaned into his touch. His lips felt wonderful against hers and the fact that they were now truly alone made their exchange that much more intimate... or so she thought.

"Master Tenya, you're home earl-..." a soft voice said from afar.

They both were startled by the subtle arrival of the maid, who was now blushing as she knew she had probably come at a very inopportune time. Once she recovered from her initial shock, she bowed respectfully in front of them.

"Pardon the intrusion, Master Tenya," she said apologetically. "I was unaware we would have guests."

"It's quite alright," Iida tried to play it off. "I hope we are not intruding on your work, Futaba-san."

"Not at all," she smiled. "I was just finishing up today's laundry when you two had arrived."

"Good... That's good," he stammered awkwardly. "Then, if it's no problem, we will be retiring to the living room."

The maid laughed softly. "Need I remind you, Master Tenya, that this is your home, not mine. I merely work here."

"A-And your work is duly appreciated, Futaba-san! I was merely making sure that we wouldn't be getting in the way of your work..."

"Your compliment is much appreciated, Master Tenya. Is there something I can bring for you and your friend here?"

"Umm... I think some tea would be much appreciated."

"Of course sir."

She looked over at Fey and smiled serenely. She then bowed again and introduced herself to her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, young lady," she greeted politely. "Please, do not hesitate to call upon my services if you require anything."

"I uhh... Thank you, miss," Fey awkwardly thanked her before she disappeared towards where Fey assumed the kitchen was.

After that brief but awkward exchange, Tenya sighed and motioned Fey to follow him into the main living room. Fey lingered for a moment, having almost forgot to take off her own shoes before fluttering towards Iida to catch up to him. The living room was as grandiose and richly decorated as the rest of the house. The large windows that dotted one side of the living room brought in some much needed light to brighten up the room. Despite its luxurious quality, the room felt a lot cozier than the rest of Tenya's home.

"Have a seat," he invited her to sit next to him on one of the many sofas.

Fey sat down awkwardly next to him. She felt so out of place, as if her mere presence was going to somehow ruin the environment around her. Tenya could feel her tenseness and grabbed her hand gently to try and make her more comfortable. This only made her heart race even more. They exchange a few glances without speaking a word to each other. Then Futaba returned to them with a platter of tea and some other refreshments and Tenya instantly let go of her hand, feeling his face grow red once again.

"Your tea sir," the maid announced as she set the platter down on the table.

"Thank you, Futaba-san," Tenya graciously thanked her. "You can leave it here and return to your duties."

"Understood sir."

She bowed once more before leaving the room from where she had come. Tenya sighed once more, feeling a little stressed from the situation. Fey felt the same as she stared at the hand he had previously been holding. Meanwhile, Tenya stood up from the sofa and walked over towards the table where the platter had been set.

"I figured... some tea would do us some good," he said as she grabbed hold of the small ceramic teapot. "I've always thought it refreshes the soul," he continued as he poured her a cup. "And also the mind as well."

He handed the cup of warm tea to her before pouring himself a cup. He then returned to the sofa and sat next to her again. Fey examined the cup he had given him. The liquid inside was of a deep rich shade and smelled heavenly. She took a small sip at first, flinching slightly at how hot it was, but even with just this small taste, she could tell that this was the best tea she had ever tasted.

"Thank you, Tenya. This is lovely," she told him with a smile. It quickly faded though as she remembered the reason why she was here in the first place.

She didn't feel quite ready to reveal everything to him just yet. Instead, she sipped on her tea quietly and Tenya patiently waited for her to feel comfortable enough to tell him whatever it was she had to say. He reached out his hand to her once again, stroking the top of her hand with her thumb lightly.

"Take your time," he assured her. "We are safe here, at the Iida Estate. There is no one that will disturb us here... except maybe for the maid."

Fey laughed slightly, comforted by Tenya's humor. "I wasn't expecting all of... this."

Tenya seemed shocked at her response. "Didn't I tell you about my family's estate before?"

"You talked about your family owning a hero agency and that your brother was a pro hero... but I wasn't expecting you to be living in the lap of luxury, not to this extent anyway."

She continued laughing, taking another sip of tea as she did. She didn't really mind that Tenya didn't flaunt his family's wealth everywhere he went. If anything, it was something she admired about him. Despite him being incredibly proud of what his family had accomplished, Tenya was still humble when it came to money and wealth.

"Oh, I see," Tenya realized. "I hope this doesn't make you too uncomfortable... If it does, I apologize!"

Fey chuckled once more, shaking her head slowly. "It's nothing, Tenya. You have a lovely home."

He seemed relieved by her response. To calm his nerves, he took another sip of tea, which seemed to wash away part of his anxiousness.

"I'm glad to hear it," he thanked her kindly. "Now, what is it you couldn't tell me before, when we were at the park?"

Fey's smile waned. She stared into her cup, trying to find the words and where to start. After a brief period of silence, she eventually said:

"Look I... Please don't judge my actions too harshly, Tenya," she said, her eyes still swimming in the dark liquid inside her cup. "... As you know, I've had to make difficult choices to keep my family safe. You're... aware of the type of work I do during the night but... there's more to it."

Tenya listened attentively, setting his cup down on the table to turn his undivided attention to her. He would let her say whatever it is that she had to say and would not say a word until she asked him to. He could tell that this was important to her and that she was incredibly scared to share this with him.

"The people I work for... They're villains, Tenya," she announced. Tenya's eyes widened. "They run a criminal organization that specializes in people with... 'exotic' quirks. You must have noticed the other employees at the strip club. They all had very visible quirks just like mine. It's what makes us valuable to these people... It's what brings in all of their money..."

The objectification that she felt when she worked went beyond just her physical appearance. She wasn't even considered a person there, not even an object. She was just a walking quirk to these people and it sickened her that she was merely some exotic fantasy to be fulfilled by society's most depraved scumbags.

"Yesterday, I came in late for work because of our training session," she went on. "I-I'm not blaming you for what happened, trust me! But I've been doing a lot of that lately... prioritizing school over my job. It was bound to happen eventually but... that didn't sit well with my boss..."

She could feel her throat tensing up as the feelings from that night resurfaced. Iida stared at her, knowing full well what had truly happened the night before. He had seen the marks that it had left her with and it made his blood boil. How anyone would be okay with doing something so depraved, so barbaric made him sick to his stomach.

"It's okay, you don't have to-..." he said before Fey interrupted him.

"No... It's important that you know this, Tenya," she explained. "You... obviously feel very strongly for me. It's only fair that I... tell you everything."

This made Tenya blush slightly. It was true that, only recently, he had realized how attached he was to her. Before today, he hadn't quite understood why that was, but it was clear to him now that he felt something greater than friendship towards her, and to him, it also seemed pretty clear that she felt the same way about him.

Fey could feel herself shaking from all the emotion she was feeling. She set aside her teacup so that she wouldn't accidentally spill tea all over the couch. Threw tears, she said:

"I... I'm sure you can figure out... what happened to me that day..."

Tenya's heart sank as he could see the pure anguish in her expression. Instinctively, he pulled her close to him, hugging her tightly against his chest. Fey wrapped her arms around him, holding him as though her life depended on it. She wanted nothing more than for the rest of the world to fall away, leaving only him and the sound of his heartbeat to warm her and keep her safe.

"It's okay, Fey," he reassured her. "You're safe here. Nothing is going to harm you as long as I'm here..."

"That's the thing, Tenya," Fey said as she fought back a few sobs. "This isn't the first time this has happened... and it might happen again... and that terrifies me."

Tenya's arms squeezed her even tighter as he felt a seething rage filling up his heart, like a volcano of rage building up on the inside. He couldn't just stand aside and leave her to the wolves. He had to do something, anything, to keep her safe.

"You won't have to worry about that anymore..." he said gravely.

Fey lifted her head towards him, seeing the pure, unbridled rage in his eyes. It frightened her, but not because she found him scary, but because she was afraid of what might happen to him if he did something.

"Tenya," she called to him, grabbing his face in between both her hands. "Even though I've told you all of this, you can't get yourself involved in any of it, you hear me? These people... they're dangerous. You can't beat them all on your own. They could kill you!"

Tenya scowled discontentedly. He knew deep down that she was right and it infuriated him even more. It was almost unbearable, the thought of him being completely helpless in this situation. He wanted to help so badly, it made him ache. But for now, he relented, letting out a deep sigh as his eyes lowered.

"I just... I can't just stand idly by while you suffer," he said softly. "I... love you too much to stand aside while you endure such torment."

Fey's eyes widened. She hadn't expected him to say something like this to her, especially not now. Now that she thought about it, she didn't recall ever hearing someone say those exact words to her so earnestly. She hadn't really given any thought as to her feelings towards him, but with what had happened recently, she realized that she too felt attached to him, more so than to anyone she had been in contact with before.

Fey's silence made Tenya's heart beat anxiously. Had he said too much? Had he been too forward with his feelings? The words had slipped out of his lips so naturally that he hadn't even anticipated them himself. He looked away shyly. Feeling her gaze upon him was almost intolerable now as he waited for her response.

"I... think I'm in love with you as well, Tenya," she finally answered after an unbearable amount of silence.

His eyes lit up at her response. He felt as though his heart could sing from all the joy and excitement he felt in that moment. Hearing her say those words only bolstered his own feelings towards her as he excitedly leaned in to kiss her once again. Fey was a bit taken by surprise by his enthusiasm, but gladly leaned into his lips as well. They shared a few seconds together, holding each other closely, before separating enough just to feel each other's breaths on their skin.

"You are like a beacon of light, Fey," he said to her softly. "Like a star shining in the night sky."

Fey started to blush slightly. "You might be exaggerating a bit there Tenya..."

"On the contrary... There aren't enough words for me to describe how much I feel for you, my Star..."

There was something in the way that he called her that made her feel so special. She had never experienced anything like this before. This amount of love and admiration pouring from one person... It was all new to her, so new that she hardly even knew what to do with it all. But she decided to take the compliment this time, smiling tenderly at him as she nuzzled her nose up against his.

"Say it again," she whispered.

Tenya smiled. "My Star... Won't you stay with me tonight?" he asked as his eyes met with hers.

Fey hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out the appropriate response to his question.

"Not tonight," she replied in a whisper. "I need to... think about all of this..."

She could feel Tenya's disappointment in the way that his whole body seemed to sink down into the sofa. She felt a weight on her own heart. She wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms like this, but she needed time to reflect, and she needed time to figure out how they would proceed moving forward. There were so many things of which she was unsure of, so many things that plagued her thoughts. She just needed more time and Tenya could sense it. So despite his initial discouragement, he nodded and said:

"I understand. Take all the time that you need, my Star..."

He kissed her again sweetly, enjoying every second he had with her before, inevitably, she would have to leave for her own home. He walked with her to her apartment as he had done countless times before, and when it was time to part ways, he gave her one last kiss goodbye before disappearing into the night. Fey had given much to think about as well, but his feelings towards her made him want to push forward and see where all of this would lead to.