IcyHot sure as hell did not take it easy on me in training. His damn requirements involved both intense physical training and more talking about shit.

"You're gonna make me talk to you about Kamino more? Didn't we talk enough about that shit?"

"You said you regarded it as a failure. WE need to face our failures if we want -"

"Yeh, yeah, I got that. Whatever. Dammit." And I turned away from him.

"If you really don't want to..."

"It's my problem. Not yours."

"Sometimes sharing your burdens with someone else can help, you know."

I have someone for that. Someone besides you.

OK, me and Deku didn't talk all the time. But still, it did feel like something had been uncorked since our fight in Kamino. I could overhear him talking about his problems and comment. We could be stuck with each other and I could admit something. It wasn't like before.

Still, I was stuck with ICyHot most of the time, so whatever was happening in Deku-land was a bit of a mystery.

We spent one particularly brutal session practicing escorting members of other schools through an obstacle course with rotating fakeout weapons, without quirks. Our faces were still banged up in class on Monday morning.

"What's up with Bakugou?" asked Raccoon Eyes as the class filtered in. "Did he get in another fihgt?"

"Have you not noticed, girls?" said Kaminari. "Take a look at Todoroki!"

"Eeek! His pretty-boy face is ruined! What could have happened?"

"Looks like they've been getting a spartan education at the provisional license training course," said Ears

"Must be very physical, huh?" added Kaminari.

"Quit talking about me behind my back already, dammit!" I shouted at them.

"Class is starting!" shouted Glasses, flailing his arm in the air like usual. "Where are URaraka nad Asui?"

"They're on authorized absences, Class Rep," said Ponytail.

I'd heard URaraka and Frog Face were with the number ten hero, the Dragoon hero Ryukyu. The only one in Class who'd placed higher was Tokoyami, who'd gone with number three - Hawks. Not counting IcyHot's internship with his old man, which was favoritism anyway. and Deku. Getting All Might's...

"Kirishima's missing too, isn't he?" added Ears.

Right. He was with BMI hero Fatgum. Which I'd heard through gossip, not from him. Not just because of the damn license course, but because he'd basically stopped talking to me all of a sudden. I still had no idea why, and I wasn't about to go begging hmi for answers.

Ballhead was bothering Deku behind me. "Hey, what's up, Midoriya? HOw was the first day of the internship Were there any lady heroes with super-erotic costumes?"

Creepy weirdo.

"Erm-herm."

Unusually monosyllabic response for Deku. And of course just another damn reminder that he's with All Might's sidekick.

"How long are you there for? Lemmee join too!" Raccoon Eyes chirped at him.

"Erhm-herm..."

"Quit talking about how much you're getting ahead of me!" I shouted at him.

Class began just then as Cementoss took the floor. Deku said basically nothing throughout the whole class. And he was flailing in training. Looking and keeping very quiet, Which was weird for him. Being quiet, that is.

Actually, he's gotten quieter and quieter ever since he got One for All.

"Sometimes it can help to talk things out"

Icyhot's damn advice. OK, so I've never admitted this much to myself before, not easily. I don't think about it consciously, because it's almost like a reflex, I don't even give it any thought. And before now I've always assumed he looked down on me and secretly hated me, so it was too painful to even consider...

But I really do...care about Deku.

There's very few people that I've ever actually wanted to protect or look after. I mean, it always felt disrespectful to them, and I told myself that about Deku too. As resilient as he is, he sure as hell doesn't need me fussing about him. But...now that things have changed, this weird desire I've just always had doesn't seem so much like an insult any more. And I can't help it. I want, somehow, to do something to help him. Not physically. Emotionally. I want to say something, do something, to somehow get him to stop looking so miserable and silent and sullen all the time.

But I honestly have no idea how.

And after everything that's happened between us, I don't know whether or not it's just too damn late to try.