A/N: School is still beating the fuck out of me. Seriously, I'm running out of steam in all my classes.

So we're still sticking to this story for now. It's far faster to write with my laid out prompts.

Besides, I actually need to look over some stuff for TY before I continue. Especially with how I want to wrap it all up in the next 10 or so chapters.

Quick warning, a lot of fights this time around.

Edit: Hey, if you read the manga, keep it to yourself. And none of this "Laughs in Manga reader" either. It still makes it fairly obvious to our anime only readers.

Older info is fine, like 1-A vs 1-B stuff, or maybe a bit beyond that if we're pushing it as it's been out for quite some time and even anime only readers know. But such recent events are not to be shared publicly, got it? Especially since there's a good chance I don't even take that route with my stories.

...

"And Kyouka Jirou once again doesn't disappoint! She's moving on to the next round!"

Well…

Ochako couldn't say she didn't ask for it.

She took deep breaths, her body already tired from her constant charging. Looking down, her eyes fell on her foot. The one foot that slipped over the edge, securing Kyouka the win.

She lost, but...she actually didn't feel too bad about it. Was she disappointed? Of course. Anyone would be. But…

Ochako looked up, Kyouka's hand reaching down to her. "C'mon. Let's get back to the boys."

... Losing didn't feel so bad when it was against her friend. Especially someone who inspired her so much.

It was a loss, yes. But that just meant she would work to make it her last.

Ochako reached up, grabbing Kyouka's hand and pulled herself up to her feet. As they walked to the entrance into the stadium, the brunette looked to her friend. "Where'd you learn how to fight like that?"

"Ah, don't give me all the credit. Izuku was the one who thought my jacks would work in hand-to-hand combat. He helped me make my own fighting style."

"Wow, really? Is that the kind of stuff he's always writing down in his notebooks?" They reached the steps and began climbing up towards their class's seating.

"Oh, yeah that's kind of his hobby. Hero info, ideas, all that stuff."

"Either way, you took that fighting style and really did a number on me. You guys really are amazing. I gotta learn how to fight like that."

With a slight blush from the praise, Kyouka tapped her jacks together. "Thanks." As Kyouka continued up the steps, Ochako stopped at the landings. Confused, Kyouka looked behind her. "You coming?"

"Uh…" Ochako lifted up her phone, a phone call waiting to be received. "I gotta take this. I'll catch up. If I'm not up there by then, tell Iida I said good luck." The brunette walked down the hallway, answering the call. Kyouka caught a little bit of the conversation before moving further up the steps. "Hi, Dad...Yeah, I guess it was kinda close...I know her, Jirou's one my friends I told you about."

That was all Kyouka heard before both the distance between the two teens grew too far for her to hear. Her parents...Kyouka was happy she won, but still couldn't help but feel like Ochako deserved the win more than she did. The livelihood of a family, unless a miracle happened, depended on Ochako. But, what's done is done. And Ochako seemed more determined than ever.

It was weird to know you inspire people. Especially when you feel like your actions aren't that grand or anything. But, it felt good.

Besides, that was Kyouka's entire goal in life, wasn't it?

Kyouka finally made it back to 1-A's seating box, avoiding all eye contact with Todoroki as she walked down to Izuku in the front row. Her classmates congratulated her as she passed them, shyly thanking them until she sat down.

"Well, that was... something. A lot less stressful than you and Shinso."

Izuku smiled, placing his hand down between their legs to avoid being in the line of sight of any of the class. "You were incredible."

Kyouka saw what Izuku was getting at, slipping her own hand down to meet Izuku's, hiding their interlocked hands. "Thank you. As cliché as it sounds, I couldn't have done it without you. I would have lost flat out without our training."

"I wouldn't go that far, but I don't think either of us will budge on our opinions."

"True. Where's Iida?"

Izuku leaned back in his seat, responding with, "He went ahead to his prep room. Uraraka?"

"On a call with her parents." Izuku quickly grew a look of concern, but Kyouka stopped his worries. "No, don't worry. I'm pretty sure everything's good."

Sighing in relief, Izuku smiled. "Good. So...A-Are you ready for your next match?"

"Is there any possible way I can be ready?"

Izuku nodded, understanding the dilemma. He spoke under his breath so no one else could hear. "A-All the advice I can really give at the moment is Todoroki is overconfident in his abilities...G-Granted, some of that confidence is warranted, but I doubt he's expecting much out of most of the class. You can surprise him. If you ever have the chance to get close, stay on his left."

"Using his grudge to our advantage?"

"As sad as his backstory is, he's giving himself a crutch."

Kyouka blew a raspberry, resting her chin in her hand. "Well, hopefully at least Iida is ready for his fight with Hatsume."

…..

(10 Minutes Later: Iida vs Hatsume)

"Hahahaha! Oh my god, Hatsumei is amazing." While Kyouka was laughing, Izuku was just sitting next to her in complete shock at how badly Iida was being used as a walking advertisement. On Izuku's other side sat Ochako, who made it back to the seats halfway through Iida's battle.

Ochako sucked in through her teeth, looking over to her friends. "We...We probably should have warned Iida."

Kyouka wiped her eye, the last of her laughs petering out into chuckles. "I feel so bad for him, but it's so funny."

Iida eventually came back looking very upset, refusing to talk about the fight. Time passed with Mina and Aoyama's battle, with the pink girl taking the victory. After that was Kirishima vs Tetsutetsu, where the battle that resulted was…

...taxing, for everyone involved. Including the audience.

Iida shook his head as he gazed down at Eijirou and Tetsutetsu still duking it out , "This...This is absurd. It's not an immovable object vs an unstoppable force. It's just two immovable objects flailing around." Ochako was asleep next to him, the length of the battle being too much for her to handle. Kyouka wasn't too far behind her, leaning onto Izuku to keep herself upright. Izuku had long since given up on taking notes, looking down at the fight with foggy, half-opened eyes.

"Both participants are unable to continue!" All of them jolted awake and jumped in their seats, quickly looking down at the arena to see Kirishima and Tetsutetsu both unconscious.

Midnight shook her head, "Well, we're not going through all that again. So when they wake up, we'll hold a tie breaker event."

Mic yelled out, "While we wait for them to wake up, the show must go on! Next two fighters, to the ring!" Behind them, Katsuki rose from his seat and made his way to the exit silently. Momo was a bit behind him, unease clear on her face as she followed the blonde. Just before Katsuki left, his eyes met Izuku's before he vanished.

Izuku whispered to Kyouka, "I have a bad feeling this fight won't last long."

Kyouka thought back to what happened to poor Sero when Shoto was irritated, and now Momo had to fight the guy whose default emotion was pissed off and he had the power to back it up. "...Me too."

…..

(10 Minutes Later: Bakugou vs Yaoyorozu)

Momo took a deep breath as she met the blood red gaze of Katsuki from the other side of the ring. She hoped her expression didn't show how terrified she was. Not particularly of Katsuki specifically, but of failure.

Katsuki was an extremely formidable and powerful opponent, and he proved that even further after his massive explosion during the obstacle course.

She had done far worse than she expected during that course, not to mention humiliated publicly by Mineta latching himself to her backside.

And then she was so gullible she fell for a trap by Mineta so obvious it took the others seconds to see through it. It just hadn't been her day.

That needed to change.

"Fighters! Get ready!" Momo quickly created a sword and shield, a basic yet effective combination. Bringing up the shield, she looked over her defense to see Katsuki simply rolling his shoulders nonchalantly.

"BEGIN!"

*BOOM*

Katsuki fired forward in an instant with an explosion boosting him, "RAAAH!"

He slammed his hand into Momo's shield, firing off an explosion as he did. She slid back far, only stopping just at the edge of the ring. 'What? I-I have to move. No, I need to...need to…'

Katsuki pushed against the shield once more, a white hot combustion blasting Momo off the ring and tumbling through the grass with a trail of smoke following her. Midnight yelled through her megaphone, "Yaoyorozu is out of bounds! Bakugou advances to the next round!"

"Wh-...What?"

In the 1-A seats, everyone began to clap, but felt bad for their classmate. Izuku was gazing down at Katsuki, his brow furrowed. That was fast, even for Bakugou. If Izuku wasn't sure Katsuki was desperate before, he was certain now. He wasn't leaving any time for a fight.

He was in the kill, taking down his opponents as fast as possible, not leaving even a one percent chance that he could lose.

...To not lose his opportunity at Izuku.

And now Momo had to suffer for it.

"Alright everyone, that's round one! We'll take a fifteen minute break, and then round two of the tournament will begin!" The crowd gave an encouraging clap, cheering on Yaoyorozu for a good attempt. But, she was hearing none of it.

That was it? That wasn't even fifteen seconds. He was just too fast, Momo didn't know what to do. Her heart clenched as she stood up, looking down at her feet with disappointment clear on her expression. Every chance she had to stand out had been squandered.

Her intelligence, something she believed in more than anything, failed her when she needed it most.

Momo walked off the field, her spirit heavily damaged.

Izuku looked down at the face of his classmate, recognizing that look of disappointment and pain. He knew more than anybody what that look meant, it dug deeper than simply being down due to your own failure.

She didn't believe in herself anymore.

Kyouka saw a frown grow on Izuku's face, knowing he was recognizing another person seemingly knocked down a peg or two by the explosive blonde.

…..

Soon, Katsuki made it back to his class, but the couple couldn't help but notice Momo had not made it back yet. Izuku and Kyouka looked at each other, both remembering her behavior in the cafeteria, at the tournament roster announcement, and when walking off the field.

Kyouka turned to her friends while standing up, "We have to go to the bathroom again."

Iida shook his head confused, "I still don't understand this mental link thing and how it pertains to using the restroom."

Kyouka smirked, "You wanna see how it works?"

Tenya raised his hands up, "Nope! No, I definitely do not need to see that."

Rolling her eyes, Kyouka followed Izuku out of their seating box, heading towards the waiting room for the fighters. "Is Mr. Boombastic always that relentless?"

"K-Kinda. But, that was different. I'm his number one priority, and Yaoyorozu was in the way of that."

The musician sighed, "Of course. So, what exactly are we gonna do? Izuku, you're my best friend, so you know I'm going to be completely honest with you and say you're not the best when it comes to talking to people you don't know...Especially pretty women you don't know."

"I-...I'm not going to dignify that, because that would imply I'm admitting I find another woman pretty."

"Good answer, but you get my point."

"I know, but...I have to do something. "

"I understand. I feel the same way." That was Izuku for you. He just couldn't resist. Besides, Kyouka had Izuku's lack of self-control to thank for their first meeting. One, for attending the entrance exam without a quirk. And two, for not being able to resist asking Kyouka about her quirk.

They made it down to the prep room, but Yaoyorozu wasn't there. The duo searched around the other empty hallways until they found her. Momo was sitting silently, her knees to her chest, arms around her legs and head resting on her knees. There was an empty look in her eye as she stared at nothing in particular.

Kyouka put a hand on Izuku's arm, stopping him from advancing. "Hey, I'll try and handle this first. I don't know her well, but I've at least spoken to her a couple times." Izuku nodded, trusting Kyouka's judgement. The purplette walked over to Momo calmly, catching the noirette's attention.

"Oh! Jirou, I didn't see you there!" Looking past Kyouka, she saw Izuku standing at the end of the hall. "And Midoriya...I guess that's expected. You two are inseparable."

"Yeah, we get that a lot. Mind if I sit?" Kyouka didn't wait for a response, sitting down next to Momo. "So, uh…I know you and I haven't exactly talked much, but...Izuku and I could tell you took that loss pretty bad. And, from what we've seen, you've been acting a bit down for awhile."

Momo shook her head, sighing as she leaned back against the wall. "Just a hit to my morale. I'll be okay."

"Hey, if anyone knows what it's like to handle that, it's us."

"Um…" Both girls looked down at the end of the hall, Izuku trying to say something. "I...Uh…" Izuku walked forward until he was across from the girls. "I-I think it's more than that. I know what it feels like to not believe in yourself." Momo's eyes widened, but she remained silent. "B-But...You're the smartest of all the first years, maybe the school. Your quirk is incredible, perfect for any situation."

"Yet, somehow my intelligence and quirk failed me out there. I didn't earn the right to be here. I was picked through recommendation. I froze the second I faced real action, and my performance has been lackluster all day, I was so gullible that I fell for Mineta's stupid trick. Even…"

"What is it?"

Momo's eyes darted to Kyouka, but moved away. "It's nothing."

Kyouka shook her head, "You're not backing out of this one. What is it?"

"...Even back in battle training. I lost to you in an instant. All year I haven't lived up the expectations people have of me." Oh, Kyouka didn't think of that one. She kind of figuratively and literally pulled the rug out from under her back then.

"Are those expectations people put on you, or expectations you put on yourself?"

Momo raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

"Well, have people actually given you those standards, or are you telling yourself you need to be that good, right now. I mean, this is a school for a reason. We're all inexperienced, and need to grow. That's the entire point of being here. You can't be perfect right now, and no one expects you to be."

Izuku nodded, "She's right. I-I'll admit, I've done the s-same thing. I'm always f-feeling so behind and that I n-need to be the best now. But, in the end, I-I know I'm learning. And that's all I really need to do right now. You lost one fight, but we're all g-going to lose sooner or later."

Kyouka nudged Momo with her elbow, "Just do your best to make it your last loss."

Momo looked back and forth between her classmates, nodding to them. "...Thank you."

While Izuku could have sworn he had a weird case of deja vu at that moment, he was happy he was able to help.

The speakers suddenly blared, "Okay everyone, it's time for round 2! Next fighters, come on down!"

Taking a deep breath, Izuku rolled his shoulders back. "I'm up again."

Kyouka nodded to him, motioning down the hall. "Good luck." Izuku walked away towards the exit, the two girls left behind. "You ready?"

Momo nodded, standing up with Kyouka. "Yeah...Thank you again. Truly, I...I feel much better."

"It's not a problem. C'mon, let's go see Izuku kick ass."

…..

(5 Minutes Later: Midoriya vs Shiozaki)

The crowd cheered as the two greenette's walked up onto the ring, the battle soon to commence. Kyouka and Momo returned to their class, but with a change in seating arrangement. Momo walked up to the trio, hands clasped behind her. "Excuse me, but would you mind if I sat with you?"

Kyouka smiled, but Tenya spoke up before she could answer. "Ah, Yaoyorozu! Of course, we'd be delighted. I've actually been meaning to speak with you about some of our council duties. You see-"

The purplette held a hand up, "Ah! Nope! No business while Izuku's fighting." Iida begrudgingly agreed as Momo took her seat. Looking down at the arena, Izuku stood across from Shiozaki. Her calm demeanor almost threw him off. She was seemingly saying one final prayer before the match began.

"Fighters!" yelled Nemuri, "Are you ready?" Izuku crouched down, electricity sparking around him as he raised his power to a slightly stinging seven percent. Shiozaki stood still, her hair waving around her head. "BEGIN!"

Izuku was true to his trend of not attacking first, waiting and analyzing his opponent. He wasn't there to watch Kaminari's fight, so he didn't know much about Shiozaki. He would have asked but...He wasn't exactly sure what terms he and Kaminari were on. However, he did overhear Iida saying if Denki had more maneuverability, he might have won. The greenette knew he had that under his belt, so hopefully the fight wouldn't be too much of an issue. He wouldn't underestimate Shiozaki, though.

*CRACK*

The ground suddenly broke open, vines shooting out at blinding speeds. Izuku quickly burst to the side, going around the vines and breaking out into a spring at Ibara. He was there in a flash, his limbs slightly stinging. But, just before he was able to get a hand on her, a wall of more vines blocked him off.

Izuku quickly backtracked, the thorns dangerously close. "Ah! What th-?" Looking down, Izuku found his foot was caught in a large tangle of plants. While he may not have seen Ibara fight, she definitely saw him fight.

She had seen Izuku's speed, knowing what he was capable of. He was fast, but…

He couldn't run with no floor to stand on.

Izuku looked all around, realizing what had happened. 'That initial attack was a fake out.' The vines from the beginning had spread out, covering nearly the entire ring. Izuku couldn't take a single step without being trapped. The vines around his foot yanked on him, trying to pull him down. Izuku brought his power up to 10%, ripping them away as fast as he could, but more kept coming and wrapping around him. Not just the detached vines either, Ibara was using her own hair now as well.

The vines wrapped around him, constricting his body, twisting him around at uncomfortable angles. Izuku used his strength to resist and keep himself on the ground, but more and more vines were coming. Shiozaki spoke sternly, "Yield, Midoriya. Failure isn't a sin."

Izuku knew he had the strength to break free, but it wasn't his own body he was afraid for. It was Shiozaki's. What if he couldn't control himself and ripped her scalp off? No, he couldn't allow that.

But, he also couldn't allow failure. He refused to lose the tournament without even an attempt at Katsuki. And his plans for Shoto couldn't be thwarted now.

He had one option left.

Izuku thought back to the USJ, that feeling of desperation, of terror when Kyouka was about to die. The feeling of not desire, but need to stop himself from walking off the ring when fighting Shinso. He needed that power now, to live up to the expectations so many people had of him. From All Might, to Mika, Kyoutoku, his friends, even those against him like Shoto and Katsuki…

And of course, Kyouka.

He. Would. NOT . Fail. Her.

Izuku felt a rush of power, sparks circling his body. He gripped the vines as they began lifting him up in the air. The energy flowing through him was building up, begging to be unleashed.

"HuuuAAAH!" Electricity exploded from Izuku's body, the vines around him being blasted off of him. The blast wasn't as strong as the one from his fight with Shinso, but that was likely due to no longer having Kaminari's own quirk powering him. Shiozaki put her barrier of vines up, but the sparks still caused some of them to repulse away and leave an opening.

"Sorry a-about this!" Taking his chance, Izuku dived through the opening in vines at 8%, falling into a roll and giving a hard kick directly into Shiozaki's stomach. She flew off the platform and onto the grass, sealing the victory for Izuku.

"Shiozaki is out of bounds!" Midnight shouted. "Izuku Midoriya advances to the next round!"

Izuku fell back on the ground, taking deep breaths as he looked up at the sky and listened to the cheering of the crowd. He raised his hand up and watched sparks dance around his fingers.

One step closer.

…..

"Next two fighters, please make your way to your waiting rooms! The match will begin shortly!"

Kyouka took a shaky breath, her friends giving her sympathetic looks, but doing their best to encourage her. The purplette made her way to the exit, meeting Shoto at the archway. They left together, walking down the steps in silence until they met Izuku on his way up. Shoto said, "Don't take the loss personally, but I still plan on fighting Midoriya."

Kyouka grumbled, stopping next to Izuku. "Look, you don't like Izuku. Therefore, I don't like you and it's automatically personal." Kyouka felt bad for him with his entire family situation, she really did. But, this wasn't the way to go about it. Especially if it meant being an asshole to everybody. "Izuku's promise to you is mine as well. I'll do my best to beat you, nothing less." She really hoped her voice wasn't shaky and showing just how nervous she was. But, it had to be said. Shoto nodded, not giving a verbal response as he continued down the stairs. "...I'm dead."

Izuku shook his head, "Just remember what we went over. It's your best shot."

Nodding in agreement, Kyouka put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Great job, by the way. I was scared at first, but you seem to be getting a handle on that new power."

"I hope so."

"I don't. If I win, it'll make fighting you even harder."

Izuku chuckled, squeezing Kyouka's hand and kissing her as a final gift of luck. Parting ways, Kyouka made her way down the steps, as ready as she could possibly be.

…..

(Jirou vs Todoroki)

"And we're back with our next two students! Fan favorite Kyouka Jirou is back, and this time she's against...Oh, crap. Him? What's she gonna do?...Uh I-I mean, Shoto Todoroki! Back from his quick victory last round!"

Kyouka rolled her eyes, mumbling under her breath, "Thanks for the encouragement, Mic." The crowd was tepid, all afraid of a repeat of the last round.

Midnight raised up her megaphone, "Fighters! Ready yourselves!"

Kyouka brandished her jacks, her heart pounding in her ears. Todoroki didn't move, just continuing to stare.

"BEGIN!"

*Shnk*

Kyouka immediately bolted to the left as a trail of ice came right towards her. Thankfully it seemed Shoto had calmed down since his fight with Sero, and he wasn't going overboard with his ice. Kyouka charged forward as fast as she could, however she didn't get too far. Halfway across the ring Shoto simply shot out his ice at a much wider range, making it impossible for Kyouka to dodge. She was trapped immediately, her body from the neck below frozen solid.

Many sighs emanated throughout the stadium. Kyouka had become a fan favorite, being the solidified MVP of the festival as of that match. But, they had all expected that outcome. Shoto was simply too much to handle for most of the roster, which was evident after his quick victory over Sero.

Up in the stands, Ochako sighed, "Dang. Todoroki's too powerful."

Iida nodded in disappointment. "Quite. I almost hope that I won't have to face him. I guess that all depends on your match against him, Midoriya...Midoriya?"

"She's not finished." They both turned to the greenette, his gaze set on Kyouka. "It's not over."

Present Mic announced, "It looks like Todoroki is moving on once again after another swift victor-...Wait! What's this?!" On the platform, Kyouka jammed her jacks into the ice, vibrating them and shattering her ensnarement. "Jirou just broke the ice! The fight is still on!"

Kyouka charged once more, much to Shoto's surprise. He quickly shot out another trail of ice, again too wide for Kyouka to dodge, but she once more shattered the ice after it covered her. Shoto was relentless with his ice, but so was Kyouka. With every new patch of ice on her body, she broke through.

Getting caught in another glacier, Shoto yelled, "Just say you give up. This is pointless." Kyouka didn't listen, breaking through again and continuing to close the distance. The crowd was cheering wildly, astonished the match was still going. When another wave of cold approached, she jumped up and kicked off of the other glaciers, managing to just avoid being frozen again. The purplette knew her maneuvering wouldn't last long. That first wave of ice already made her limbs numb.

She remembered what Izuku said. She needed to surprise Shoto.

'...Oh no. Izuku is rubbing off on me too much, because this idea might work but is so stupid at the same time.' As one more wave of ice approached, Kyouka didn't attempt to dodge. She ran at it full force. Just before she met the ice, her jacks stabbed into them and vibrated as fast as she could. Bringing her arms over her body, she smashed straight through the weakened ice. For a brief second she could see surprise on Shoto's face. He definitely wasn't expecting that.

The distance between the two teens was short, now only about six meters apart.

...Exactly in her range.

Kyouka shot out her right jack towards Shoto's left side. Or, more appropriately, his defenseless side. He tried to grab at it, but he was slowed down by the frost gathering on his body. With his reaction time slowed, instead of being grabbed by Shoto, her jacks stabbed his palm and made his arm jolt back involuntarily. Her jack jammed into the teen's ear, causing him to stumble. Kyouka dodged to the right as well, keeping herself on Shoto's left side.

Her other jack jabbed into Shoto's other ear as he was stunned, giving her the opportunity to ram right into him. Kyouka tackled her opponent, picking him up by the waist and charging towards the edge.

She was only a few meters away from the edge, she was so close to winning.

*Shnk!*

Kyouka felt her entire right side lock up and go numb from cold, her leg giving out. Kyouka fell to the ground, dropping Shoto in the fall. Kyouka didn't need to look at her side to know it was completely covered in ice. Shoto had managed to power through Kyouka's jacks disorienting him and freeze her. The musician tried to stab her jacks into the ice, but Shoto quickly recovered and froze her completely sans her head.

Her jacks were now in the ice as well. As much as she tried to vibrate them, they weren't budging. She was tired, absolutely freezing to the point of not feeling her body, and stuck.

Midnight yelled out, "Jirou, are you able to move?" Kyouka did everything in her power to move, but didn't reply. "I'm sorry Jirou, but I'm calling the match. Jirou is unable to move! Todoroki advances to the next round!"

"She might have lost, but what a fight! Against an overwhelmingly powerful opponent as well! That's what I call tenacity!" Mic cheered through the speakers. "Let's give it up for crowd favorite, Kyouka Jirou!" Everyone clapped and hollered as Shoto walked up to the purplette, unthawing her quickly with his left side.

"...That was a good fight. Caught me off guard more than once."

Kyouka fell from her cold trap, barely standing on her feet. "Well…" She responded, her teeth chattering. "J-J-Just w-wait until I-Izuku f-f-fights you. J-Jesus Christ, I'm freezing!" The med team ran up to Kyoka, wrapping her up in a blanket and escorting her off the field.

Up in the teacher's box, Toshinori watched as Kyouka left the arena, his expression being nothing short of impressed. 'Tenacity, indeed...Hm...You know what? Screw it.' All Might stood up and walked over to where Nezu was sitting, "You mind if I talk to you for a second? I have something that needs your approval."

…..

(20 Minutes Later: Recovery Girl's Office)

"Still cold?"

Kyouka gave a dry chuckle through chattering teeth, looking at her boyfriend. "What do you think?"

The purplette sat in one of the medical beds, her body covered in three layers of blankets. Izuku, Momo, Ochako, and Tenya had all come down to check on her, but the latter three had since left with Kyouka's persistence that she was fine. Tenya's match would start soon, anyway. But, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had both finally woken up and the tie breaker event was underway.

Of course, Izuku stayed behind. And, just like at the Entrance Exam, Recovery Girl had seemingly vanished after making sure Kyouka was alright, purposely giving the couple alone time.

"I'll go get Recovery Girl and see if she has any more blankets." Just as Izuku stood up from his chair, one of Kyouka's freezing cold jacks wrapped around his wrist.

"Or...um…"

Izuku raised a brow, tilting his head in confusion. "What? Do you need something else?"

"Ah, nevermind."

"No, really. Whatever you want, I'll get you."

Kyouka blushed, "Well, since she's pretty adamant on leaving us alone and both of our matches for this round are over, I was gonna suggest not going to look for more blankets and warming me up yourself."

A rosy blush blooming on Izuku's face, he smiled a little. "O-Oh."

"I told you, I needed to catch up on flirts. It's just a dumb suggestion, you don't have to. Someone could walk in an-" Kyouka was quickly stopped by Izuku kicking off his shoes and placing himself down on the side of the bed. "...Or you could just agree immediately."

"B-Besides two people being out to get me, I'm doing extremely well at everything today. This is basically me continuing to bet on black and ride out this confidence high. We've done this before during our first date, anyway. So it's not that much different."

"I don't know, being under the covers feels a little different."

Izuku nodded, "A little, b-but progress is progress."

Kyouka smiled as Izuku lifted up the covers and sat right against her. "I can't deny that." The rocker wrapped her arms around Izuku, causing him to immediately jump in surprise.

"Oh! Wow, you really are cold."

"Something to look forward to when you have to fight Mr. Heat Miser and Mr. Snow Miser's secret son."

"Now you're throwing around the love child stuff?"

Kyouka laughed, nuzzling into Izuku's chest, trying to capture as much heat as she could. "Sorry that hospital rooms aren't the most romantic setting."

"Kyouka, do you realize how low our standards are? We made out on the bathroom floor this morning. We've set the bar pretty low."

The musician laughed, humming to herself as she remembered their morning escapade. "Fair point. At least this is a bed. A hospital bed, but a bed nonetheless." Izuku reached over Kyouka to grab the television remote, switching on the mounted device to see what was going on out in the arena. "They find out who was going to fight the Booming Blonde Boy Blunder yet?"

Chuckling at the nickname, Izuku shook his head. "They should have by now. The arm wrestling match started when I left, so by now it sh-...Oh my God they're still going." Izuku and Kyouka both looked up at the television to find the cameras still focusing on Kirishima and Tetsutetsu's arm wrestling.

The stalemate was never-ending, both boys unwilling to give up. The once cheering crowds were now still and silent as boredom seeped through their bodies. The only cheering and hollering was coming from Mina up in the stands, yelling for her "Horn Buddy" as she called it.

...Whatever that meant.

"Uh...close game here folks." Mic said over the mic. "What do you think, Erase-And he's asleep. Okay, I'm gonna go grab a drink." Shuffling of Mic getting up echoed through the speakers, along with footsteps becoming progressively quieter.

Kyouka took the remote from Izuku, switching it off. "Yeah, I'm not watching that."

"Usually I'd disagree, but I can't even analyze anything from that."

"You just focus on getting me warm."

Izuku obliged, tightening his hold on Kyouka and burying his face into her hair and sighing in content. Kyouka's touch was becoming addicting, almost to the point where it would bother him if he went a few hours without it.

It went from him never even thinking about that kind of affection, to wanting it, to needing it.

But, as much as he would like to just sit there and bask in her affection in peace, an opportunity arose that Kyouka, and he himself, would be mad if he didn't take. They were alone, comfortable, not in any stressful situation...for now.

"...Do y-you think we can have one of those talks?"

Kyouka raised her head up, slight shock on her expression. "Oh, uh yeah. Of course." This was perfect. This was exactly what Kyouka had been hoping for when it came to Izuku starting up those conversations by himself. It was proof his trust in her was stronger than anyone else's. "What about?"

"W-Well, you already know about the playground. And this kind of relates to our previous topic being in a hospital bed and all. I-I uh...I wanna talk about the day of my diagnosis. I've told you what happened after, but not the whole day."

"Wow, really? I mean, are you sure? That sounds like a pretty big deal. If you want to work up to it I would understand."

"I-It's okay. The playground was a big deal for me, too. And I want you to know. You deserve to."

Kyouka nodded in understanding, moving her head up from Izuku's chest to his shoulder. "Go ahead, then. Whenever you're ready."

"Okay, where to start…" Izuku took a deep breath, once again rewinding his mind back to that day. "I remember being so excited, but at the same time I knew something was wrong. My mom knew I was going from being a late bloomer to zero chance, I could see it in her eyes. She smiled, but...she was already sad." His grip tightened a bit, which Kyouka noticed. "Then, w-"

"Wait." She wasn't just going to let that little inflection go. This was all to help him feel better, so it was probably best to bring it up. "How did they make you feel?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your mom already knew something was wrong, you could see it. How does that make you feel?"

Izuku breathed in deep, processing the question. "...At the time, I ignored it. Even if I didn't, I'm not sure how I would think. But, after all this time and everything that's happened, I think...I think it just makes me feel she lost hope in me earlier than I thought."

"Earlier than you thought? You think your mom doesn't have hope for you?"

"N-No I-...Well, not anymore. But, before my quirk came in...Yeah. Yeah, I did."

"I'm sure she had hope for you. She thinks so highly of you."

"...Not the hope I wanted. Not until I got my quirk. And by then...it was too late." After another deep breath, Izuku continued. "A-Anyway, she tried to video call my dad earlier on, but he never answered. We learned later that he didn't answer because he fell asleep. It was really late in America, and he had worked overtime the night prior."

Kyouka brought the blankets up further, her body finally getting warm. "And that? I'm assuming that didn't help with how you feel about him. Or were you so young that you just sort of accepted it?"

"A bit of both. I did accept it, but I was disappointed. And again, I sit here and complain about it when he was working so hard for me. But it was just another moment where he wasn't there. And year after year it was the same. With the time difference and his job, my school, etc, I eventually stopped asking for video calls not too long after that. Haven't done them since, obviously."

Izuku's father was a situation Kyouka really was at a loss for. What could she do about it? It was only solvable if Hisashi came back, and from the looks of it that wouldn't happen for a very long time. Years, even. There was no telling when he would step foot in Japan again.

All she could do for now was comfort. "Hey, no matter how much my dad gets on our case, don't forget you're an honorary Jirou. He might be... dramatic, but my dad would never turn you down if you ever need anything. He'll be there. We all will. Seriously, I think my mom wants to keep you as if she found you on the side of the road."

Izuku released another shaky breath, a couple tears brimming in his eyes. Kyouka looked up at him, carefully wiping his eyes. "Th-Thank you. All of you."

"Just remember those privileges are revoked if you break up with me."

"You think I plan on losing this?"

Kyouka gave him a chaste kiss, "Good answer."

After settling back down, Izuku moved on. "Once we got to the hospital, they did every test. And when the doctor came back in, he said…'' Izuku faltered, his lips twitching into a frown just for a second. "I'm afraid there's no hope for him."

There that word was again. Hope. Kyouka couldn't help but notice that word was being thrown around quite a bit. She knew hope meant everything to everyone, but especially to people like Izuku. And, even herself. Hope was the key to both of their reasonings to be heroes.

For Izuku to lose that hope...She wasn't sure how he'd be if he lost his hope that day and gave up. All she could do was feel lucky that Izuku kept his hope and still went for the U.A entrance exam. She now had the one she cared for most in the world and returned those feelings, all because of hope.

Although, Kyouka couldn't help but focus on one other thing.

"What kind of asshole doctor says that!?"

"Tell me about it."

"He might as well have given you the middle finger."

"Maybe, but at least he was honest."

"There's a difference between that and honesty. Especially to a four-year-old."

All Izuku did was sigh in response, looking up at the ceiling as his memory rewinded once more.

"At first I was in shock, but then I...I'm not sure what I was, just...empty." Kyouka let it all sink in, doing her best to process everything she had heard. Izuku let out a shaky breath, causing Kyouka to quickly nuzzle his shoulder, holding him tighter. "Sorry, I-I...I-It's just been a while since I've remembered that day. At least, on purpose and so vividly."

"It's fine. Don't ever apologize for this kind of stuff. But, what did you mean by you didn't know what you were?"

Izuku furrowed his brow, trying to think about his answer. "Honestly, I'm not fully sure myself. I sort of...I think it was because heroes were all that defined me. Or, it was all I let define me. If I couldn't be a hero...Who was I? What did I matter? But, I didn't think those exact thoughts yet. I was only four, my thought process didn't run that deep. Really it was a few years later when the name Deku finally sank into my head."

What did he matter? That was definitely on Kyouka's "Red Flag" alarm. "And your thoughts now?"

"W-Well, I have a quirk, friends, and I'm lying in a bed with a beautiful girl I get to call my girlfriend. What do you think?"

"Pretty good?"

"Perfect." Izuku smiled as Kyouka leaned up and gave him another kiss. After she settled back down, he continued. "You know the rest. I went home, asked my mom if I could be a hero, and she broke down crying and apologized."

Now that was a little weird, too. Izuku went through that entire story like he was struggling, going through his past as if it was like crawling on hot coals. But, that last part he said so…

Nonchalantly.

Granted, the first time they talked about it was different. He did seem hesitant at the time, but Kyouka was almost certain that was because it was his first time talking about it...Probably ever. No doubt Izuku never spoke about it, and of course didn't tell anyone. He didn't even have friends to speak to at the time.

But, now Izuku said it quickly as if trying to move past it like it wasn't important.

Izuku turned the television back on, seeing Kirishima slamming Tetsutetsu's hand down, winning the arm wrestling match. "Oh, it's over. Should we go back and watch Iida's match in the stands?"

Kyouka hummed in thought before standing up from the bed and walking over to Recovery Girl's mini freezer. She pulled out an ice pack and rubbed it on her forehead. "Oh, would you look at that? I'm still cold. Guess we have to stay here and watch the match from the TV."

Izuku shrugged, "I-I mean...I won't object." Kyouka smirked, hopping back into the bed and leaning onto Izuku's shoulder. "So, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you have anything you want to talk about?"

"M-Me?"

Izuku looked at her confused, "I...I-I thought these talks were for both of us."

"Oh...I mean…" Kyouka couldn't deny a relationship was supposed to be a two way street. But, this was just a fancy way of giving Izuku therapy without calling it therapy. She knew if she called it therapy, Izuku would likely back away. It was a term many people for some reason gave a negative connotation to. Like it was a sign of weakness. So, that's what led to bottling it all up and… 'Wait a minute, isn't that exactly what I've been doing?'

...Hypocrisy at its finest.

Well, she couldn't just flat out say everything. She definitely wasn't ready for that. So, the same rules for Izuku applied to her. One step at a time, learning new things about the other, letting out things others don't know.

"...When I was little, I hated my quirk."

Izuku's eyes widened, "What!? But it's so cool!"

"Not everyone thought so."

Suddenly Izuku's body grew stiff, maneuvering to look down at Kyouka. "Were you...Were you bullied, too?"

"No! Nonono, not like that. At least, they didn't know they were bullying. Back when I was four, my jacks were growing in. They were just the ends sticking out of my earlobes. The other kids would laugh at them, not in a mean spirited way. They just legitimately thought it looked funny...But I didn't see it that way. My mom caught me trying to rip them off. You've seen how sturdy these things are, so obviously that was never going to work. Especially with weak little arms, but still...I hated how I looked." That was the illusion, wasn't it?

Hated.

Past tense.

It was only fair that she shared this story. Izuku told her about the day the seed of his problems was planted, and she told her's. Not that Izuku knew that yet, but still.

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek as he processed it all. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, that was a long time ago. And they were so young and dumb they still thought chocolate milk came from brown cows and the world used to be black and white until color was magically invented. Besides, it's so small compared to your stor-"

"It's like you told me earlier. Everyone's issues are their own, and are significant to them in their own ways."

"Fair enough. Extra points for using my own words against me."

"Besides, you know now how amazing your quirk is. I love it."

Kyouka blushed, her jacks wrapping around Izuku's waist. "And they're the main reason we met and talked to one another. So I love my quirk, too. Another successful talk. How was that?"

Izuku took a deep breath, a small smile growing. "Good...Really good, actually. You?"

"Honestly, yeah." Kyouka hadn't talked about that day in a very long time. And she wasn't lying when she said she liked her quirk. Of course she did. But, that day still stood as the first day of looking at herself differently.

When it came to Izuku, she was proud of him. And when it came to the doctor, he had better hope he never meets Kyouka because she's going to punch him in the face.

Izuku moving past the latter half of that day so quickly was still a bit worrying. Although, Izuku had basically summed up what that did to him and his mother's relationship. Maybe he was just trying not to repeat himself. If there was more to it, the details would come in time. These talks were for him to speak to his comfort level. Not to push him into talking.

They would get there eventually.

All in due time.

A/N: Big OOF for doctor man. Seriously, in my manga that's what he says. Out of the dub and sub, that's the most asshole thing to say.

Now, and important message.

Do you like IzuJirou (If not, uh...why the fuck are you here?)? Do you like healthy and friendly discord communities based around your favorite ship and characters and worships best girl Kyouka Jirou? Do you like communities that still respect your other opinions and can have engaging discussions about them because shipping shouldn't be toxic? Are you a reader, aspiring writer, artist, or all of the above?

If you said yes to any of these questions, then join the cult-I mean server...Nah, I mean cult.

/7BXEqWH4jC

Seriously, it's a great place to chat and hang out with some great people. There's chats for nearly everything, not just MHA. All other anime, games, music, etc. And everyone gets to participate in the creation of others stories and artworks. You can even see sneak peeks or assist me in my own works. I've shared a lot of future An Insecure Violet stuff already, and will continue to do so...But loving Kyouka is required, as well as IzuJirou. Cause uh, hehehe... We'll find you if you don't. We've converted many before, and shall continue to do so.

You. Have. Been. Warned.

...But come join the server.