A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read along! This fic got a lot more attention than I was anticipating and I'm insanely grateful for that! I know I had said that it would be a four-chapter fic, but I am considering adding an additional chapter or two (New Years and possibly Valentine's Day in the story). Please review and let me know if this is something you would be interested in reading!

Additionally, I've written several chapters featuring Hana and Eijiro after a short time-skip, when their relationship starts to pick up some "steam." ;) However, to preserve the rating of The Ribbon and out of respect for readers who aren't interested in mature content ("lemons"), I am considering publishing those chapters as a separate story. Alternatively, I can update the rating on this fic, though I don't want it to lose its appeal to some audiences.

Please drop a review and provide me with feedback in regards to the story, your opinions, and your preferences regarding mature content.

And let me know what your favorite part or line was from the fic so that I can get a grasp of what I did right!

How to Get a Date

The rest of the week passed by in a happy blur. Tuesday afternoon, Eijiro went to the dorm like he promised. The second-year support students all regarded him with varying opinions. Some were suspicious. Some seemed annoyed by his presence. A couple of them poked at his cheeks and fawned over him as if he was a cute playground kid there for a play date.

He met her two closest friends, Shibuya and Tondi, who definitely seemed the most suspicious of him out of everyone. Well… for about five minutes. Then, they were suddenly all conspiratorial grins and winks.

"Soooo, Kirishima~" the arachnid-quirk girl sang. "Is your friend single? You know, the really mean one?"

"Sorry," he laughed, "he's kind of… in a complicated situation, so I'm gonna say no."

After that, Hana spent the next hour trying to teach him sewing techniques.

"Eijiro, what are you doing? Why are you using your quirk right now?"

"Cuz I keep pricking my fingers and it hurts!"

"How can you have precision and grace with your clumsy rock hands?!"

Wednesday, he had planned to go back over for a class in baking, but after being chewed out by Katsuki and guilt-tripped by Kaminari, he had to stay in his own dorm to help with the concert rehearsals.

"But all I'm doing is shaving ice!"

"SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH! IF EVERYONE ELSE HAS TO PRACTICE THEN YOU DON'T GET TO SLACK OFF WITH THAT RAINBOW HAIR HERO-CRUTCH!"

Thursday, he was again roped into staying at his dorm, but he was surprised when Hana and her friends showed up and decided to do their baking with Class 1-A instead.

"Well, Sato is happy to meet someone with his passion for baking," Ashido noted, as Hana and Sato dominated the kitchen.

"Better watch out, Kirishima," Kaminari teased. "Looks like you've got competition."

Eijiro didn't think that was the case. He had seen Hana glance up at him while whisking eggs and saw the way her cheeks and hair flashed pink when their eyes met. She likes me too, I know it.

"Well," a small hand touched his arm, and Aisla, the cute little blonde who was almost too timid to be noticed, looked at him with sparkling blue eyes. "We're rooting for you, aren't we, Kacchan?"

Katsuki's face went furiously red. "WHO THE HELL IS 'WE?' STOP STALKING ME, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE CUTE!"

"No one said anything about you thinking she's cute," Jiro pointed out.

"Why so defensive, kacchan?" Kaminari snickered.

"I WILL DESTROY ALL OF YOU!"

Meanwhile, Mineta was watching all the girls in the kitchen, practically foaming at the mouth until Tondi slid onto the chair next to him. They were about the same height, and her eight eyes batted at him. "You're kind of cute," she cooed. "What do those balls do?"

Mineta stared at her for a long time before shivering violently as she winked at him. "S-so creepy…" he whimpered.

"The cookies are done!" Shibuya announced. "Come on, Class 1-A, this is our treat to you for everything you're trying to do for the rest of the school at the school festival! Some of us know how hard you're working!"

Hana brought a small plate of baked confections over to Eijiro, her eyes downcast as her cheeks blazed. "H-Here. They're my own recipe." She held a cookie out to him. "But next time you have to help more. I'm your tutor, not your servant."

"Thanks, Hana!" He leaned over to take a bite out of the cookie in her hand, instead of grabbing one for himself. At this, her entire head of hair went hot pink.

"E-Eijiro, you're so embarrassing!" She shoved the cookies into his hands and then buried her face into a couch pillow.

"Look, Katsuki," the little blonde commented. "They call each other by their first names too, just like us!"

"I don't call you by your first name!" Katsuki snapped. "I don't call you anything at all! I'm going to bed!"

"Don't feel bad, Isis," Kaminari said, with a wicked glint in his eye. "That's just Bakugo for you."

"HER NAME IS AISLA YOU BRAIN DEAD SPARK PLUG!"

That evening ended with laughter and joy.

Friday, Eijiro and Hana decided to avoid the rowdy dorm common areas and went for a walk instead. They talked about their work studies, and he told her everything that had happened to him during the Hassaikai mission.

Saturday morning, Hana invited him to join her for breakfast, since her friends were sleeping in. They sat across from one another and chatted about each of their weekend plans. She told him that her class would be doing special field training at the USJ that day. Then, their conversation turned to teasing and laughing yet again.

"How can you eat with all those pointy teeth?" she giggled.

"It's not so bad! I've got some molars in the back!"

"Do you ever cut your tongue?"

"Nah, not since I was a kid, see?"

"Ew, don't stick your tongue out, this is a dining establishment!"

"Why is your hair turning pink?"

"Because you're embarrassing to be seen with in public, first year!"

"Sure, that's why you invited me to meet your whole class."

"Eijiro…" she groaned.

They agreed to meet up again for dinner after her field training was over. Eijiro spent the rest of the day helping his class with concert preparations. The school festival was only two weeks away now.

Evening came, but Hana was nowhere to be seen. He sighed in the cafeteria, waiting for her to come through the doors.

"If you're looking for Kanzashi," Todoroki said, helpfully, "she may be recuperating. I heard that the second-years were doing some intensive training at the USJ today and many of them had to see Recovery Girl."

"Thanks, man," Eijiro said, though it didn't make him feel any better. "Hope she's alright." Now he had to worry about whether or not she'd gotten hurt. As ridiculous and irrational as it was, he had the overwhelming sense that he had failed her somehow. That he should have been there to keep her safe.

He ate his dinner feeling glum. Why don't I have her phone number? I'm so stupid, I should have asked for it days ago. Then I could check on her. That's it, next time I see her, I'm getting her number.

He could hardly stomach his dinner. He offered half a bowl of Shoyu to Todoroki, then headed outside. He decided to go to her dorm to check on her. Even if she was in bed resting, at least one of her friends would let him know she was doing alright.

As he approached her dorm, he noticed someone walking ahead of him. Slender and wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled up. The figure put him instantly on edge. It was against the rules to wear hoodies like that on campus and had been ever since Shigaraki from the League of Villains had attacked Midoriya in the mall. His guard rose, even more, when he realized the hooded figure was headed straight for Hana's dorm, too. In him was that new, untamed instinct to protect her.

He was about to call out or run forward, but then his eyes caught on the shimmer of something pink.

It was Hana's ribbon, tied around the stranger's wrist. No… not a stranger.

"Hana?" he called out. "Is that you?"

She froze in her tracks.

"Phew, I was worried when you didn't show up to dinner. How'd your training go?" He took a step forward, but she held her arm out.

"Go away!" she said, voice frantic. "I don't want to see you right now."

"Hana…" he frowned. "Did something happen? You seem weird."

"Just leave me alone, Kirishima!" She wouldn't even look at him and had purposely chosen to call him by his surname.

"Hey… did I do something to upset you?" He tried to recall their conversation that morning. Everything had seemed normal. They'd been talking, laughing, smiling… Her hair had been bright blonde with pink streaks. Happiness and that slight bit of embarrassment she always had around him. But it was definitely the happiness that shone brightest on her face and in her hair that morning. There had been no trace of sorrow or resentment. Nothing that could help him unwind whatever issue she was facing now. "If I said something stupid, just tell me and I'll know for next time. Promise I won't be mad." He laughed, hoping to make her feel a little lighter, but… his efforts were in vain.

"Why won't you just go away?!" she cried. Her voice was wild, strained with tears.

"Because I care about you," he took another step closer. "And I can tell that you're crying."

"You're just saying that!" She was shaking. "Leave me alone!" She tensed like an animal ready to flee.

"Wait, Hana!" He reached out before she could make the leap. His fingertips tugged on her hoodie, loosening the hold of the hood. The fabric slipped down and pooled around her neck.

She yanked away from him, turning on him as though he'd struck her. Her face was wet with tears, her lips trembling. And her hair was… gone.

He stared at her. Her head was shaved down to almost nothing. Nothing but dark blue stubble. No long, thick braid, woven with multiple colors and ribbons. Just… emptiness.

"Whoa," was all he could manage to say.

"I didn't want you to see me like this!" she sobbed. "Go away!"

Now, she did flee, and he stood frozen as she darted toward the treeline. He had no idea what he was supposed to do now. No idea what the right thing was. He still didn't even understand what was going on. Did she shave her hair off? Why? And if she chose to do so, then why did she seem so ashamed of it? What was he missing here?

"Ah," a voice said from somewhere behind him. "Now you've seen the side-effects of Kanzashi's quirk."

He turned on his heels immediately. "Thirteen!" He bowed his head. "I didn't know you were watching!"

The pro-hero leaned against the wall of the dorm building, and somehow, her space-suit expression seemed weary.

"She's one of my problem students, that one," the teacher said. "She feels so strongly but doesn't know how to communicate those feelings. She can't run from them, because her quirk causes them to be broadcasted to everyone who sees her. It leaves her in a conundrum, I'd say."

Eijiro looked down at the pathway, clenching his fists as a pang of sympathy touched his chest. "That's gotta be so hard for her."

"It is," 13 agreed. "She's been bullied, heartbroken even, by people who didn't understand her." She stepped away from the wall and placed her hands on her hips. "Kanzashi's quirk allows her to create any article of clothing she can imagine from her hair, but it also causes her hair color to change with her emotions, and… when she overuses it, her hair all falls out and she ends up looking like that."

"I had no idea…" He gritted his teeth. "She could have told me, I would have…"

"She's a teenage girl, one who is always remembered by her hair. It's all anyone talks about. Of course, losing it causes her a great deal of stress." She sighed. "It will all grow back within twenty-four hours, so it's not as if she's been rendered quirkless. It's her self-confidence that suffers."

Eijiro's fists clenched and unclenched. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well… do you like her any less now that you've seen this side of her?" she asked.

"What? No, of course not!"

"Then, you should tell her that. She needs to hear it. She needs someone like you in her life, Kirishima. Someone who is honest and likes her for who she is. If you're the one who says it, she'll believe you."

He lifted his head, determination in his eyes. "You're right. Thanks, Miss Thirteen."

"Go. Run after her. But remember that this is a school campus, no PDA allowed."

"I hear ya! Thanks again!"

With this, he ran in the direction Hana had disappeared to. Down the hill and into the trees, calling for her as he ran.

"Hana! Hana wait for me!"

He could hear her crying up ahead. He pushed through bushes and vaulted over logs to reach her. "Hana, let me talk to you, please!"

There was a clearing ahead. She was running through it, the hood pulled tightly over her head, tears falling into the grass as she ran.

"Hana!" He ran behind her. "Stop running from me like I'm some kind of villain! I'm your friend!"

She stopped. Her body shook and he could hear her gasping sobs. "I-I'm not trying to treat you like a villain," she cried. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He started forward, slower now. "Can we talk? Just for a minute? I already saw what your quirk did to you and I'm still here. So… please?"

"Why did you follow me?" she asked.

"Because you're crying… I wouldn't be much of a friend or a man if I just let you wander into the forest like this, sad and alone."

She wiped her face with the sleeve of her hoodie, then tried to control her breathing.

"Hana…" He reached out and placed his hand gently on her shoulder. She flinched but didn't shrug him off. "Will you look at me?"

"I can't," she choked. "I'm so ugly."

"No, you're not." He pulled softly, and she finally relented. She turned toward him but kept her head bowed low. "So… this happens when you overuse your quirk?" He pushed the hood off of her head.

"...yeah," she sniffled. "If I used it too much, I'm bald. If I don't use it at all, it'll grow forever."

"Then… you must have gone all out in training today, right?" He grinned at her, despite the seriousness of the moment. "You weren't holding anything back."

She toyed with the ribbon on her wrist, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"I'm proud of you for working so hard," he said. "I bet you were amazing out there."

Her cheeks flushed pink. She swallowed hard, then turned her head away.

"I don't… I don't want you to be proud of me, Eijiro, I want you to be…" she trailed off. Then, in hardly more than a whisper, she said, "...attracted to me."

"You think that because you're bald, you're not attractive to me?" he asked.

She tensed. "I… It always happens like that," she said. "The last time a boy had a crush on me was in junior high. After he saw me lose my hair, he… he got everyone to start calling me the 'bald Rapunzel.' I was so humiliated that I had to change schools." She wiped at her eyes with her sleeve again. "That's why I didn't tell you. You seemed to like me so much… I just wanted to pretend like that feeling could last forever. I just wanted to be normal for a while."

"We live in a society where most people have weird quirks," he pointed out. "What's normal? A lot of people have nasty side effects to their quirks. Mineta's head bleeds if he throws too many balls. Kaminari goes completely brain dead! Midoriya used to break his entire body just to use his quirk for a second! So, what if your quirk makes your hair fall out? That is normal here."

"Maybe, but…" she sighed. "It's shallow, I know, but I… I also wanted someone like you to think that I'm… really pretty." She played with the ribbon some more, as if remembering when he told her how pretty it looked on her.

"Hana…" he tilted her chin up with his knuckles. "I do think you're pretty."

She met his eyes, silver irises shimmering with tears.

"To me," he said, "you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen." A gentle smile. "I kind of like this better, honestly. It's easy to get distracted by your rainbow hair and not notice how cute your face is. But right now… all I can see are your eyes, and your cheeks, and lips. And I still like you."

"You… can't be serious," she whispered.

"Come on, you know me by now! What is it that you like about me? You like that I'm straightforward and honest, right? Then, you know I'm telling the truth."

"Eijiro…"

"I'm not pretending to like you, Hana. I really do." He reached for her hand, then stroked the pink ribbon on her wrist. "I wanna… I want…" he squinted his eyes shut before blurting out, "your phone number!"

She blinked at him. "My phone number?" she said, in deadpan.

"Yeah. I want your phone number so that I can check on you and we can talk about stuff whenever we want." He opened his eyes and hoped she could see the determination in them. "I want to be the person you feel safest talking to about anything that's on your mind, the good and the bad." He let out a shaky breath before continuing and saying the words that had been on his mind all week, growing more and more demanding after every afternoon they spent together, and after every new thing he learned about her.

"And Hana, I want to…" he said, throwing caution to the wind. "...maybe even be your boyfriend one day… If that's something you want too, of course."

She blushed, her eyes going wide in disbelief.

"Sorry, I know. I say too much."

"No, it's okay…" she smiled shyly at him. "I'm really happy to hear that… even after seeing me like this, you still think you might want to…" she cleared her throat. "Eijiro, there's something I have to tell you."

"What's up?" he asked. "You can tell me anything, Hana. I'll listen."

"You've been pestering for a week about how I really feel about you," she said, quietly. "I was too embarrassed to say it, and I didn't want to open my heart up like that when I thought you might change your mind after you saw me like this, so I…" she let out a slow breath. "I… like you too, Eijiro. A lot. Yeah, you're a first-year, and I used to hate your class, and you really embarrass me, but… Spending time with you makes me happier than ever before." She looked down. "T-There. I said it."

Eijiro's heart throbbed violently in his chest. Finally, finally, she said it out loud. She did like him! He made her as happy as she made him! It was everything he had wanted to hear. He felt happiness so profound welling up inside of him that it drove him to impulse. He hugged her tightly against his chest, squeezing her against him and breathing in her scent.

"Hey…" he leaned back. "I have a great idea!"

"Is it that I should give you my phone number?" she asked with a giggle. It was amazing that she had found it in herself to laugh after being a sobbing mess a few moments ago.

"Hana, you should enter the school beauty pageant!" He squeezed her shoulders. "Then you can hear everyone talk about how pretty you are and it'll make you feel better about yourself! You don't have to take my word for it if you think I'm being biased or something."

She laughed. "I don't know…"

"You'd win for sure, and I'll be in the crowd cheering you on! Then everyone can see how pretty you are! And then we can hang out for the rest of the festival!" He was beaming brilliantly as he spoke.

"Like a date?" she giggled. She lifted her hand to cover her mouth as she did so, but he caught it before it reached its destination. He interlaced his fingers in hers, then smiled warmly at her.

"Don't cover up your mouth when you laugh anymore, Hana. You don't have to hide anything about yourself. At least… not from me."

Hana smiled at him, new tears springing in her eyes, but these were tears of joy. "Give me your phone, first year."

"Huh?"

"Come on," she squeezed his hand, which was still tightly holding hers. "You want my number, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah!" He let her go so he could dig the device out of his pocket.

She snatched it from him and input her number into his contacts. "This doesn't mean we're dating," she said, as she slid it back into his pocket. "You have to actually take me on a date first. So… if the school festival is really fun and you act like a gentleman, then…"

"Then… we might be a couple?" he asked, grinning.

"We'll see," she smiled. Then, she stood on her toes, tilted her head, and pressed her lips against his forehead. "Can you walk me back to my dorm now, Eijiro?"

His whole body felt like it had been caught in the discharge of one of Kaminari's attacks. He shivered from pleasure, then let out a shaky breath as she stepped back outside of his personal space. "Y-Yeah!" He straightened up, face and ears burning. "I'll walk you back!"

She giggled, and she didn't cover up her face this time.

They walked side by side, out of the forest, and to the second year dorms. She went rigid when she saw Thirteen waiting for her on the steps.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," she whispered to him, then gave his hand one last, tight squeeze.

His heart was light and full of joy as he watched her disappear into the building.

Kinuhana Kanzashi… I want to learn everything about you. I can't wait to see where this takes us.

The day of the school festival could only be described as chaotic fun. The Class 1-A concert was an overwhelming success! Students from all classes and grade levels jammed to the beat like they were gathered at a real pop-rock concert. Spirits were high, and the U.A. students were finally able to have fun and celebrate togetherness for the first real time since All Might's retirement.

The show ended at 11:00, leaving plenty of time in the day for the other school festivities. Their class missed 1-B's theater act while cleaning up, but the beauty pageant was at noon, and several 1-A class members were desperate to be there.

Eijiro stood near the water trough where Katsuki was melting the remaining ice from the concert. Unlike the others, however, his attention was away from the clean-up and instead focused on his cellphone.

He felt a flutter in his chest when he re-read Hana's text message for the fifth time.

I watched the concert. You guys were amazing. :) Wish you were on stage though! And you owe me for getting ice in my hair. I have a beauty pageant to win you know?

He was still trying to decide how to respond when he saw the ellipsis indicating that she was typing, so he waited. A new message came through a moment later.

Are you gonna be there?

He grinned at the screen.

I'll be right next to the stage cheering for you! he typed. He followed this up with a string of emojis including starry eyes, a heart, and a kissy face.

Omg why do you always use emojis like that? If people see our texts they're gonna think we're dating.

I don't see what the problem is, he responded.

I have to get ready for the pageant! Later!

He was going to text a quick goodbye when a large chunk of ice was hurled at his face.

"Ow! What the hell, man, that really hurt!" he complained with a sideways look at his friend.

"GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF RAINBOW-HAIR'S ASS AND HELP US CLEAN UP!"

He flinched but put his phone away. "Okay, okay, I hear ya."

"You'll want to hurry if you've any desire to see her in the beauty pageant," Todoroki said, helpfully.

"Alright! Let's speed it up, guys!" Eijiro clasped his hands together. "Iida, just tell me what needs to be cleaned next!"

A few minutes later, class 1-A was gathered around the stage for the beauty pageant.

"I'm rooting for Hado," Midoriya said.

"Me too!" Uraraka agreed. "She's so pretty!"

"Who're you rooting for, Kirishima?" Ashido nudged him hard in the ribs.

"Ah, come on, Ashido," he grinned. "You already know the answer to that."

When Nejire Hado performed and awed the crowd, Eijiro couldn't deny that she was elegant and definitely pretty. But he had a completely different feeling when Hana walked onstage. To him, there was no comparison. This girl was beautiful.

She walked onstage in a purple dress, with a pink lace skirt and tights. Her neck was adorned with the ribbon she'd kept on her person at all times, since that night a month ago when she'd first shown him her quirk. Her hair wasn't braided for once. The blonde waves, layered with strands of pink that showed her embarrassment about being onstage, were so long today that they brushed behind her knees as she walked. Silk, purple flowers crowned her head.

"Hey, you're looking a little flushed there, buddy," Kaminari threw an arm around his shoulder. "You're not gonna pass out on us, are you?"

"Your true colors are showing, Kirishima, you absolute perv," Mineta said. "I know what you're thinking about."

He didn't even hear them. His attention was completely focused on Kinuhana Kanzashi. He cupped his mouth and called out to her. "Hana! Over here! You've got this!"

The crowd was loud, and he had no idea if she'd be able to see him in the sea of faces—but her silver eyes drifted over the masses and somehow found him. It helped that he had bullied his way near the stage and was easy to see with his spiked up, bright red hair. When their eyes met, she grinned brightly, and her hair seemed to glow even brighter.

"Ugh, this display of affection is so gross," Mineta complained.

"Hey! Mineta!" A shrill female voice called out to him. "I knew I recognized that purple head! Wait for me!"

"Oh no, it's the spider girl, please Kaminari you gotta get me outta here quick!"

"No way, man, you've finally gotten a girl's attention and now you're scared?" He hoisted Mineta into the air. "Here he is, Tondi! Have fun!"

"Put me down, Kaminari! The eyes… so many eyes… and who knows about the egg-sacks…"

"Whoa," Ashido said, her eyes glittering as she watched the girl onstage. "What's she doing?"

Hana twirled, her hair spinning around her. The sun glinted on a small pair of scissors in her hand. Then, seamlessly, almost like part of an elegant dance routine, she started to use her quirk. She cut her hair as she spun, and from the air, she crafted long, silk ribbons of every color. They twirled around her and flowed behind her as she danced. The sky seemed to fill with a rainbow of sparkly silk until at last, she took a bow. The overuse of her quirk for this display left her with hair shorter than Eijiro's, but there was no regret on her face. The crowd was cheering for her, and Eijiro was the loudest of all.

"I see…" Midoriya commented. "So her quirk leaves her hair short if she overuses it."

"And you're cool with that, Kirishima?" Kaminari asked. "I mean, she's got a cute face and everything, but bald? Not sure I could go for that."

"That's because you're more shallow than a kiddie pool," Jiro said, angrily jabbing him with her ear jack.

"She's amazing," Eijiro said, proudly. He watched her walk off stage, waving as she did so. "I have to go!" He started to push through the crowd, not interested in the rest of the acts.

"Hey, where are you going?" Ashido called.

"I'll meet up with you guys later, cool?"

With this, he made his way out of the crowd and around to the back of the performance area. He stood on his toes, looking over people's heads to find her.

"Eijiro!" She descended the steps to meet him.

"Hana!" He grinned. "You're here!"

She smirked, immediately catching on to their old practiced routine. "Of course I am," she rehearsed the line. Then, she took his hands in hers and said, "I'm your girlfriend, after all."

"Really?" he squeezed her hands. "But I thought I had to take you on a date first. We still have the rest of the day!"

"Well, I can easily revoke your boyfriend status if you disappoint me," she huffed. But her smile was gentle, and what was left of her hair shone pink.

"C'mon," he gave her a tug. "I'll buy you some food while we wait for the beauty pageant results!"

They browsed the food stands and he treated her to sushi and funnel cake. Then, they explored class 1-C's haunted mansion, where she was so scared that her hair turned completely white and she gripped onto his shirt for dear life until it was all over. Afterward, he participated in the obstacle course with Katsuki and failed spectacularly against him. She cheered him up by taking pictures of them together and promising to make one of them her phone lock screen wallpaper. When the results of the beauty pageant were in and Hado was declared the winner, it didn't even phase Hana.

"She deserves it," she said, happily. "I'll have next year."

"And you'll definitely win," he agreed.

When the festivities had finally ended and everyone was cleaning up, they stood alone in the grass, hand-in-hand.

"So?" he teased. "Did I pass the exam, tutor?"

"The exam?" she looked up at him, her eyes flicking back and forth between his.

"Yeah! Did I pass? Do I get to stay your boyfriend now?"

She blushed and looked away. "Well… you did pay for literally everything today, so… I guess I kind of owe you."

"Is that a yes? Is it official? Can I tell everyone? Update my social media?"

She groaned. "You're seriously so embarrassing."

"Can I tell my parents?"

"Will you stop talking for a second!"

He pinched his mouth shut, but couldn't restrain the grin on his cheeks. He was so happy.

"Eijiro Kirishima," she said, in a quiet sigh. "I'm too embarrassed to say it outright, okay? You already know the answer. And if you don't, then…" She stepped closer to him, then wrapped her arms around his neck. "Here…" she whispered. "My answer."

She turned her head and her lips brushed against his. It was soft and fleeting, barely the feather of intimate touch. An answer. A promise.

"Hana…" he was breathless, his heart thudding violently in his chest. His hand went to cup her face, and his thumb brushed the ribbon she wore. "Why don't you ever take this off?" he asked. Even when she didn't have a braid to tie it to, she still wore it. Around her wrist or around her neck. Always.

"Because…" she blushed, her blonde eyelashes batting. "It reminds me of the afternoon when a boy asked to see my quirk and looked at me as if I was the prettiest girl in the whole world." She put her hand on the back of his. "I keep wearing it because… that was the happiest day of my life, Eijiro."

His heart swelled with joy. He wanted to kiss her, wanted to stay right there with her forever. "I think today might be my happiest day," he said honestly.

"I'm glad you feel that way."

She tucked her head against his chest and let him wrap his arms around her. For a long time, that's how they remained. Eijiro Kirishima and Kinuhana Kanzashi. Just a boy, a girl… and a ribbon.