Chapter 5

A/N: No real notes on this one; except to let you all know that this fic, as well as all related fics are now cross posted on both and AO3!

The next morning; Mari rolled over to see her clock read 10:00 AM.

"Shit! I overslept!" She cried. "I slept through sparring. Bakugo's gonna kill me!"

As she panicked; the events of the night before slowly started to come back to her. She didn't have sparring today; she was being absconded for a girls day with Mina and the others.

Calming herself down; she started getting ready for her day. Her phone buzzed.

She groaned. "That's right. I left Mina on read last night. She's gonna be extra ridiculous today."

Mari pulled on a pair of blue jeans; and her black "Normal People Scare Me" shirt. Heading to the bathroom; she ran her hands through her hair, trying to get it back in place.

Once she was satisfied; she made her way downstairs. She was having her morning coffee when she was bombarded by Mina.

"Excuse me; miss! You've been holding out on me! I want details!" Mina said; hand on her hip.

Mari took another sip of coffee. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said. That was a lie; of course. She knew exactly what her roommate was referring to; she was just hoping she'd forgotten, but luck was not on her side.

"So you don't remember this text that you left me with last night?" Mina turned her phone. Mari could see the last text she had sent last night; as well as several responses.

"It's exactly like I said in the text. Kiri walked me to my room; made sure I was situated, then came back downstairs." She took another long sip of coffee, finishing it off. She rinsed it off in the sink and placed it down on the dishrag next to it. She turned.

"Face it; Mina. Kirishima and I are friends; that's it. Just like you and him are; and just like you and I are."

The other girl didn't seem convinced. "A likely story." She said, staring at Mari. "And I highly doubt that Bakugo knew you were awake because "your light was on". I would have seen it myself if it was."

Mari's eyebrow twitched. She had forgotten that tiny detail when she lied about it the other day.

"Honestly; there is nothing going on. They just…both make me feel safe. Is that so wrong?" Mari looked at her friend; her face tired.

Mina's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh; you like them! Both of them!"

Mari balked. It was true; she wasn't sure when it had started, but she could feel something shift in the way she felt about her friends.

Luckily she was saved at that moment by Jirou and Ochako coming into the kitchen.

"I think it's just us today." Ochako said. "Tsu wasn't feeling well; and Higakure and Momo both have to go home for family things."

Mari secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She loved Tsu; and the others as well, but dealing with Mina's pestering was tiring enough. She already wanted to go back to bed.

"That's fine." The pink girl said. "This is more about Mari; anyway."

Mari groaned. "I've told you you're a menace; right?" She glared at her roommate again.

"I do it because I care!" Mina said, sticking out her tongue. "Besides; you're not off the hook."

"Can I at least eat something before you throw me in front of the firing squad?" Mari asked.

"No need! We're going to brunch!" Ochako exclaimed.

They headed off campus and made their way to a small diner close by. They had just sat down and ordered drinks when Mina turned to her. "Okay; spill. What's going on?"

Mari chewed her lip; a bad habit she'd been forming. She could hear Bakugo in her head. "Don't do that; idiot. Your lips are gonna bleed." it said.

She sighed. There was really no point in avoiding this; she was cornered. "Okay; you're right." she sighed; defeated. "I do like them. Yes, both of them."

Everyone's eyes went wide. Finally Mina said; "I knew it!" Jirou handed her five dollars.

"You win the bet." She said.

Mari balked. "What the hell? You took bets?!"

Ochako smiled; also handing Mina five bucks. "I bet that Mina was wrong. Jirou bet that Mina wouldn't be able to get you to admit it." She explained.

Mari put her head down on the table. "Traitors." she mumbled into the wood.

"Okay; but seriously, Mari? Both of them? Kiri I can understand; he's a sweetheart. But Bakugo's not exactly the kind of guy you bring home to meet your folks." Jirou said. They're drinks had arrived and she took a sip of her orange juice.

Mari lifted her head, pinching her nose. "I know it seems like that; but that's only what he shows other people. When it's just us; or us and Kiri even; he's completely different."

"I don't get it. Bakugo's just…an ass sometimes." Mina said. "Yes he's our friend; but most of the time, it's like dealing with a very angry dog." The other two nodded.

Mari groaned. She knew this wouldn't be easy. "I think he's just misunderstood. He can actually be super sweet when he wants to be." She took a sip of the coffee in front of her. It was bitter; she added more milk. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover; you guys."

Jirou snorted. "Yeah; okay."

"I'm serious!" Mari said; her voice stern now. "He's not all bad."

She could tell she'd have no luck trying to convince them. "You're just noseblind to it because you have a crush on him." Mina stated, sipping her chai.

"I'm not denying that." Mari said. "But yes; I agree. He can be a huge ass sometimes."

Ochako; who had been silent up to this point, spoke up. "I agree with Mari. After Bakugo and I went up against each other last year; he came to me after to make sure I wasn't hurt badly. Of course it was under the guise of making sure so "I don't have to hear Deku freaking out" but the point stands. I think he might be more complicated than he lets on."

Mari snorted at the brunette's impression of Bakugo. "That was a very good impression of him; Ochako." She laughed a little; then her face turned serious. "I had a panic attack the other night." She admitted. "Bakugo noticed that I had gone up to my room; and came to check on me. He helped calm me down and stayed with me until I fell asleep." She turned to Mina. "That's how he knew I was up late." she stated.

All three other girls let out a low whistle. "That's…well; that's something." Mina said; stunned.

"I didn't say anything because he asked me not to." Mari said. "He didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea." She glared at Mina. "But that ship sailed; and you forced my hand."

Mina looked sheepish. "I knew Kiri dealt with that; he went through a lot in middle school." she said.

"They both have issues they're working through." Mari said. "The three of us talked about it together; and we promised to be the other two's "accountability buddies." She rubbed the back of her head. "It's not really my place to talk about it; but I can assure you, Bakugo's got stuff going on that would make anyone volatile."

The table was silent. Mari felt like she had dropped a bomb on the situation.

Finally; Jirou spoke up. "So, are you gonna tell either of them? Or both?"

Mari blushed. "I don't want to mess up our friendship." She said. "What if they both stop being my friend? What if one of them likes me; and the other doesn't? I couldn't bear it if they stopped being friends because of something like that."

"That's not gonna happen." Mina said; laying a hand on her shoulder. "Those two couldn't stop being friends if they tried."

"I know." Mari groaned. "I just…I really don't think I'm ready."

"That's totally fair." Ochako spoke up again.

Mina gave her a look. "You're one to talk!" She laughed. "Are you and Midoriya ever going to stop dancing around each other?"

The shorter girl blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said.

Mari relaxed; glad the attention had shifted away from her for now.

They finished up their meal; and headed back towards the dorms. They planned on watching a chick flick and doing each others' nails.

As they walked past; they ran into Kirishima and Bakugo. They had just finished sparring and were coming from the showers.

Mari could feel herself blush all over. Kiri's hair was down; all the usual gel and spikes washed out of it. And she could easily see the muscles in Bakugo's arms with the shirt he was currently wearing.

Mina noticed her face. "Easy; girl. You're gonna start drooling a little." she joked.

Jirou cocked her head to the side. "Speaking as a strictly one man girl; I can understand where you're coming from now."

The two boys hadn't noticed them yet; so they were messing with each other and horsing around. Bakugo currently had Kirishima in a headlock; but it was easy to tell there was no animosity behind it. Mari smiled.

Kirishima pulled himself out of the headlock; and looked up, noticing them. "Hey! Missed you this morning, Oshiro!" he called. They walked over to join the girls.

"I missed you both too. It felt weird sleeping in this morning; I thought I overslept!" She laughed.

"Is that why I heard you cussing this morning?" Mina asked her.

"Yeah; I rolled over to see the time and almost had heart failure." Mari smiled. "Did you guys have a good session?" She asked.

Bakugo huffed. "It was okay; but it was stale with just Shitty Hair over here."

Mari smiled. She knew that was Bakugo's public way of saying he missed her too.

The six of them turned to walk towards their dorm again. They were halfway there when they heard "Oh look! It's Class A; and they have a traitor with them!"

Mari froze. She knew that voice; and hated it. She turned. "What do you want; Monoma?" She groaned.

"Oh nothing; just out enjoying some fresh air. Although my mood's been soured now." The blond droned.

Mari rolled her eyes. She turned to her classmates. "Come on guys; I think my breakfast is trying to come back to say hello."

They turned to walk away, but Monoma apparently wasn't done. "Oh come on; Oshiro. Don't be like that!" he called. She could feel him getting closer. "We used to be such good friends before you betrayed Class B." He had caught up to them by now; walking behind them.

"She asked you to back off; jerk." Kiri called over his shoulder. He moved closer to Mari; Bakugo doing the same on the other side.

A chuckle was heard from behind them. "Oh I get it now." he sneered. "You just moved to their class to be closer to your boyfriends."

"Just keep walking; Mari. Don't let him get in your head." Mina whispered. She wrapped an arm around the other girl. Mari didn't even realize she was shaking with anger.

Suddenly a hand reached out. "It's rude to walk away in the middle of a conversation." Monoma jeered. He grabbed Bakugo by the back of the neck; probably to turn him around.

Time stopped; or at least seemed to slow. Several things happened at once. She could hear Mina and Kiri yelling at Monoma. Something like "What the hell; dude?" and "Let go of him!"

She could also see that Bakugo was starting to have a PTSD episode. Mari knew he didn't like to be touched from behind; apart from very few people, like her and Kiri. This jolted her into action.

She turned and slapped Monoma's hand away. "Don't you fucking touch him." She growled. Everyone stopped. Mari never swore like that.

Her eyes seemed to glow an angry violet. She looked over her shoulder. "Kiri; try to move him. I'll deal with this."

The redhead nodded. They slowly led Bakugo off the path; towards a bench.

Once Mari was satisfied that they were far enough away; she turned, facing her former classmate. She could see he was starting to get scared.

"I'm only going to say this once; so listen." She said; her voice low and menacing. "If you EVER lay a hand on him again; I will freeze you in time until your grandchildren are grown." She got close. "Do I make myself clear?"

The blonde gulped. "Crystal clear."

"Good; now leave!" Mari growled again.

That's all it took. He took off in the direction of Class B's building.

Mari sighed. "I'll probably get in trouble for that later; but it was worth it." She turned back to where everyone was sitting and jogged over to the bench.

"How is he?" She asked Mina.

"He's still really dazed." Mina said. "But at least he recognized us enough that he didn't fight us taking him to sit."

"That's good." Mari sighed. She turned back to Bakugo and knelt down in front of him.

Gently; she took his hands in hers. She could feel everyone tense; waiting for the inevitable reaction. But there was none. He just stared into space, looking at her face, but not quite registering it.

Quietly; so that only they could hear, she called his name. "Katsuki; you're okay." She said. She, Bakugo and Kirishima had established that they were okay with the informalities; as long as it was just them. However; she felt like this was an exception to the rule.

He blinked a few times; eyes clearing some, but not entirely. "Mari…?" he whispered.

"Yeah; it's me, Kats. I got you. You are safe. You are grounded. You are loved." She whispered back; repeating the words he texted her the other night.

That seemed to do the trick. He snapped out of it; noticing everyone's concerned faces.

Immediately; his face changed back to his ever present scowl. "What the hell are you extras looking at?" he grumbled.

"There he is! There's our Blasty!" Kirishima said; breathing a sigh of relief.

"Do you remember what happened?" Mina asked.

He shook his head. "Last thing I remember; we were walking away from that Class B jerk."

Mari stood up; brushing off her pants. "He grabbed you. By your neck." Mari stated. "You went into a PTSD lock."

Bakugo looked away; embarrassed. She knew he had never wanted anyone outside of her and Kiri to find out about that. "Is he gone?" he mumbled.

Kiri lit up. "Yeah; Oshiro took care of him. You should have seen her! Her eyes were all glowy and she looked badass."

Mari blushed. "I just don't like people messing with the ones I care about. Especially not Monoma. He's a jerk. He asked me out last year; thinking he was the gods gift to mankind." She huffed. "Honestly; I think he just wanted access to my Quirk. He reminds me of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast."

"Well; whatever you told him, it worked." Mina said.

"Oh; I told him that if he ever pulled that again, I'd ChronoLock him until his grandkids were grown." She said nonchalantly.

"That…that doesn't even make sense." Kirishima said.

"I know. But he'll be too stunned to figure that out for a while."

They resumed walking back to their dorm. The mood for girls day had officially been ruined; so Mari told the other girls she'd catch up with them later. They understood; now probably better than ever.

The boys and her made their way upstairs; and all huddled into Kirishima's dorm room.

They were quiet for a minute; before Bakugo looked at Mari. "Hey, Short Stack." he said.

She turned to him; concern on her face.

"Don't look at me like that!" He said. Then quieter; gentler "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me; Katsuki. It's like I said; Monoma's an ass. He was trying to get under my skin and it worked." She groaned. "I can't believe I let him get to me like that."

"To be fair; it was a dirty trick." Kirishima said. Mari looked at him. "Even if he couldn't know the outcome; grabbing someone like that is just not okay."

"Well; anyway. He won't be bothering us again." Mari sighed. She sat down on the floor with Kirishima, laying her head on his shoulder. "I know Mr. Aizawa's probably gonna hear about what happened and want to get my side of the story."

"If you want; we can go with you when he does. You know as character witnesses."

She sighed. "You might have to. I have a feeling Monoma will try to twist what happened to make himself look like the victim." She could feel a headache forming behind her eyes. She pinched the bridge of her nose in a futile attempt to make it stop.

Kirishima moved closer. "If you're not feeling well; we can cancel tonight. Go another night."

She debated it for a moment; then she remembered how excited Kiri had been at the prospect of seeing the lunar eclipse that was supposed to happen tonight.

She shook her head. "No; I'll be fine. I want to go." She whispered back.

He stared at her; uncertain. "Okay…but only if you're sure."

She nodded. "I'll be fine. I just need to get this energy." She stood. "I need to punch something; maybe use my acrobatic equipment for a bit."

Kirishima stood as well; walking over to the bag and holding it. "Go ahead; I'll keep it steady for you!"

"Just pretend it's Monoma's ugly mug." Bakugo said from his place lying on the bed.

"Way ahead of you; Kats." Mari growled. She swung at the bag; landing a punch. Then she swung again; and again. She kept swinging until she was too tired.

Kirishima let go. "Impressive. I almost felt those through the bag."

Mari knew he was humoring her; trying to get her to smile. There was no way he could feel her punches; between how thick the bag was and the effects of his Quirk.

"Thanks; Eiji." She said. "I feel much better now. Less punchy."

He laughed. "I don't think that's the right word; but I'll take it." He wrapped his arms around her. "Glad I could help though."

They soon settled in for some video games; both boys sitting on the floor, Mari hanging upside off the bed between them. "It's not as effective as my acrobatic silks; but it's the same general idea." She had told them when they asked how she was comfortable like that.

They were about an hour in; and Mari had just gotten close to beating Kirishima's high score, when there was a knock on the door.

She groaned. "Oh come on; I was so close!"

The redhead laughed; going to open the door. "Face it; Mari," He said. "You're never gonna beat my Smash Bros. score."

There at the door stood Mr. Aizawa. He took in the state of the room and its occupants before speaking. "I need to talk to Ms. Oshiro; gentleman." They could see he was tired; more so than usual.

Mari rolled off the bed; nearly missing Bakugo's head with her foot. "Sorry, dude." she grinned.

Then she turned to their teacher. "I know what this is about." She said seriously.

He sighed. "I'm not mad; I just want to hear your side of the story."

All four of them walked down to Aizawa's office. Mari sat in the chair across from her desk; Kiri in the one next to her. Bakugo decided to prop himself against the wall.

It was a few moments before Mr. Aizawa spoke. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Ok; now what happened?"

Mari quickly explained to him what happened; with Kirishima helping to fill in some details.

"So let me get this straight." Mr. Aizawa said. "Monoma put his hands on Bakugo; and you told him off? You never used your Quirk on him?"

Mari nodded. "That's exactly what happened? Why? Is he saying I did?" She knew that using your Quirk on another student outside of sparring or battle practice was extremely frowned upon.

"She never used her Quirk on him." Kirishima added. "She didn't even touch him."

"He's saying you froze him." Aizawa said, looking at Mari.

She laughed. "I believe what happened was I told him if he touched Bakugo again; I'd freeze him until his grandkids were grown." She turned to Kiri. "Does that sound right?"

He nodded. Mr. Aizawa smirked. They knew he couldn't condone it; but they also knew that what she had done was right.

He pinched his nose again. "Do you remember when I told you I didn't need a third problem child?" He asked Mari. She scrunched her nose; but nodded. "Well, it looks like you're it anyways. That being said; I applaud you for thinking fast and defending your…" he looked between the three of them. "Friend."

"Are we good to go then?" Bskugo asked from his position of holding up the wall.

"You boys are. I need to speak with Ms. Oshiro alone for a moment."

They left the room. Mari knew they'd be waiting for her when she was done; Kiri would probably have his ear pressed against the door.

It was quiet for a moment; then Mari asked. "You wanted to speak to me; sir?"

The teacher nodded. "I just wanted to touch base; see how you were getting along." He smiled slightly. "But I see I have nothing to worry about. You seem to be in very good hands."

Mari sighed a breath of relief. She smiled fondly. "Yeah, Bakugo and Kirishima are great. Honestly; they've become some of the best friends I've ever had."

Mr. Aizawa nodded. "You seem to be having a good influence on them; and vice versa." Then he leaned back in his chair. "Strictly speaking; I obviously can't condone students being in each other's rooms after curfew; especially not ones of opposite genders," he tented his fingers in front of his face. 'however; if you can promise me that no shenanigans go on; and that you won't abuse it, I can look the other way if one of you three needs the extra company."

Mari blinked. "How did you know…"

Her teacher just smiled at her. "I'm your teacher. It's my job to know these things." he stated.

Mari smiled back. "Thank you; sir. Am I free to go?"

He nodded. "See you in class Monday. And no more trouble!"

She laughed. She turned to the door and opened it to leave. Sure enough; Kirishima nearly fell on the floor from his position of listening behind the door.

She helped him up. "Ten point landing as usual; Sharky."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah; so you're good to go?"

She nodded; and the three of them headed back to the dorms. As soon as they enter; they're set upon by their classmates, wanting to know what happened.

"We heard that you ran into Monoma and it wasn't exactly friendly. What happened?" Midoriya asked. His eyes were big with worry and he kept looking between the three of them.

Mari interjected. "He tried to make a move on me; and I reminded him that no means no."

She looked at Mina over the green haired boy's shoulder. She knew no one there would have said anything about what really happened; about Bakugo and his PTSD drop.

"He won't be bothering me any more." Mari said simply; heading to the kitchen for a snack.

"But you didn't hurt him; right?"

"She didn't even need to lay a finger on him," Kirishima interjected. "She just told him that if he tried it again; she'd freeze him until his grandkids were grown."

The room erupted in laughter. "That makes no sense!" Kaminari said. He was sitting on the couch with Jirou; his arm around her shoulder.

"I know it doesn't! But he just made me so angry; I couldn't think straight!" Mari laughed back; an onigiri in her hand.

The room quiets down after a while; and everyone returns to what they were doing previously.

The silence is nice after a stressful day; and Mari can feel herself nodding off, head leaning on Kirishima's shoulder.

He nudged her slightly; waking her. "We should probably go if we're gonna go see that eclipse."

Mari had totally forgotten about their plans. "Okay; just give me a moment." She stands and stretches. "Do we need anything?"

Kiri shakes his head. "I packed everything in the car. We're good to go."

She blinks. When did he have time to do that?

She pushes the thought to the back of her mind; and says goodbye to everyone else.

Once they were outside; Kirishima turns to her. "So what did Mr. Aizawa say?" he asks.

She laughs. "What? You couldn't hear it through the door?" Then more serious; "I think he knows about us being 'accountability buddies'. I think somehow he noticed that we tend to sneak into each other's rooms at night; especially after hard days."

"That makes sense; I'm pretty sure he has security cameras around the dorms." Kiri said.

"Well, he told me that it was okay; as long as there were no 'shenanigans'." Mari said, using finger quotes. "Apparently; he thinks we're a good influence on each other, and doesn't want to mess that up."

"That's…that's definitely something." Kiri said.

They had reached the car and got in. "Anyway, I'm really excited about the eclipse tonight!"

"Same; I know a perfect spot for us to watch it, too! It's outside of the city, so there won't be as many lights."

Mari smiled. After today; a nice outing with one of her best friends was exactly what she needed.

A/N: I'm going to see if I can get this fic to ten chapters; but honestly, I'm not sure. I feel like I could easily wrap it up in one more; and then move to the sequel. I'll definitely be posting more side stories; though.