Alright - so before writing this I had to decide whether or not I wanted to include the language barrier. And after careful consideration, I have decided not to, mainly because it would throw a big wrench in where I want to take the story. So sorry but let's just pretend everyone can understand every language for story sake XD - it was basically like that in Two Heroes so ima just ride with it. Alright, love this chapter - enjoy!

Woah.

America was, very different from Japan. Or at least, New York was different from Tokyo. She had been to the city a few times with her parents, back when they had contracting jobs for clients. Tokyo was always full of life, bright signs and shops littered the streets. It was jam-packed and always alive.

New York was, well, it was similar. It was also full of life, but it felt more spread out than Tokyo. At least, that's what it seemed like as they drove in their taxi through what looked like a more suburban part of the city. She had seen a sign after they had left from the airport that said "Queens - Flushing Meadows Park."

So she assumed the place they were currently was "Queens" - it sounded familiar enough with the American culture she had researched before they came. Apart of her wanted to voice her small curiosity - but that was when they had driven over a small bridge.

Oh - This must have been the actual city portion of "New York City"

She could do nothing but stare at the seemingly endless sea of traffic, the hundreds of people holding tight to their umbrellas - crowding the sidewalks. And then there was "Times Square" as the Taxi driver had called it. Huge billboards lighting up blocks of stores, restaurants, people. The only word she could think of to describe it was, "Beautiful."

"I know right?" A familiar voice whispered to her left, staring out the window alongside her.

The beads of rain running down the glass obstructed their view slightly, but it made up for it by colliding the vibrant colors of the electronic signs. It was like staring at a rainbow two feet in front of them. So diverse, loud, incredible.

Glancing down to her left, she noticed Deku had already taken out a notebook. His hand moved fast as he wrote down what he was seeing, it was damn near impressive how he could write so neatly without looking at the page. But then again, she could recall him always writing in his notebooks so it was probably natural to him by now.

Farther to her left was Bakugo, who also was staring out his window. He wasn't making much noise, and his face didn't show much expression, but it was easy to tell, he too was mesmerized by the city. The lights dancing just past the glass illuminated his face with a plethora of subtle colors. He looked like he was in thought - and maybe this was a strange time to realize this but...

She was pretty sure Bakugo hadn't yelled once their entire trip so far. Which was... impressive? She only knew the loud-mouthed, angry, and sometimes harsh Bakugo. She knew that he had changed around Deku, she had overheard his apology to him months ago. But she didn't actually know him? Maybe she should try and get to know the real him better, this secret meant all of their lives would be entangled.

And part of her didn't like the idea of being so close to someone she didn't know much about.

"You're stop will be up to the left, it is the lobby of the Novotel, someone is waiting in there to assist in you checking in." The voice of the driver brought her out of her thoughts. He stopped the car abruptly and honked his horn a few times - was that normal? Her eyes widened slightly, the stereotype of drivers in New York didn't seem to be an exaggeration.

"T-Thank you!" Deku suddenly piped in, startled as well by the sudden aggressive driving.

A few honks from behind them jolted her once more, was it really this normal to be stopping in the middle of the street?

The driver turned around to face the three, "Of course, here's your stop you can get out right here. Enjoy your stay in the city!"

"O-Oh, ok! Have a nice day!" She exclaimed, trying to hide her surprise. So, they were getting out in the middle of the road. That was weird, right?

Making it up to the hotel room was simple enough. After jogging through the downpour of rain - they had entered the lobby and Ochako nearly passed out. No one had told her they were staying at the most expensive-looking hotel she had ever seen. She had a right to be a little flabbergasted.

After a few minutes of Deku coaxing her out of her trance, the three had spotted the awaiting serviceman who was supposed to help them. He had a trolley ready for their luggage and had easily checked them into their room.

Now, she stood in the doorway of by far the biggest hotel room she had ever seen. Deku and Bakugo had walked right in like it was nothing special, but she was damn near shell shocked. It was gorgeous.

There was a living room area right when they walked in the door, a fireplace with a large TV over it on the right. A couch facing said TV in the middle and what looked to be the glass entryway to a patio over on the left.

"Hey, mom! We just made it to the hotel." She heard from her left. A quick glance and she spotted Deku on the phone with presumably his mother. Come to think of it, she should probably call her parents as well. Of course, she had let them know that she was visiting America for a "school" event - but they were probably worried about how the fight was. They would also love to hear about how insanely expensive everything was - only with the added note that it was all pre-paid for of course.

That could come later though, they were busy and didn't need her to call just to brag about her fancy hotel room in America. Not to mention the time difference was probably offsetting her call, it was the middle of the night there, but who knew what time it was in Japan. She'd also look that up later.

In the meantime, she would let her eyes drift over the expensive carpet her bare feet were sinking into. Maybe the small two-step staircase which leads to a compact, yet beautiful kitchen in the far left corner. The hallway on the right probably leads to the rooms and bathrooms. They should probably remember to call rooms if there were enough rooms for everyone to begin with that is.

The faintest thought of her and Deku being forced to share a room, a bed, however insensible and irrational it may be, floating in her mind for just a second. Of course, that would never happen, it was too circumstantial. But the very idea of it was enough to think of how it was like to cuddle up next to him. To bask in his warmth and just shut her eyes to relax. She had plenty of memories of when they had accidentally fallen asleep on top of each other; more than she would have liked to be truthful. All of those memories were dangerous for her mind. Every time she swore her days of blushing and getting embarrassed over her undying love for Deku were over - she would shut herself up just like that. With her stupid memories replaying all of the times she and Deku were just too close for friends - however just far enough to remain that way. Thanks a lot brain!

Shutting her eyes for a brief second allowed those thoughts to disperse for the time being. Once she opened them she found Bakugo staring out the glass doors to their patio. Once again, that look of deep thought was on his face.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she found herself walking around the couch to come up behind him. Whatever was capturing his gaze was definitely something worth seeing, so she too peeked out the door. It was once again Times Square, although this time it looked fairly different. They were up a few floors, so they could see only the tops of people's umbrellas. But the show stopper was the bright lights shining from the electronic billboards - it almost looked like they were cutting through the thick falling rain, illuminating the dark and waterlogged sky, "Wow, that's really beautiful."

"Tch - it's whatever." Their blonde friend in front of her immediately walked away from the door, heading towards the couch behind them.

Bakugo was a tough cookie to crack. It was going to take some effort to get him to relax around her, but that would be fine. If he could come to be close with Deku of all people, she was sure she could break him eventually. Even if it took a bit more than time.

Deku would enjoy the view as well, and she had heard him get off the phone probably thirty seconds ago now, "Hey Deku! You gotta see this."

As she turned to face him, he had already been looking in her direction. In fact, he was looking... at her? Their eyes locked for a brief second, before his widened, and then snapped down. He had already started shuffling over to her - but that's when she noticed that his ears were red.

Had he been staring at her?

She didn't have much time to answer that question, because just like that Deku had made it to her side, "W-Wow. You're right, t-that's really beautiful."

His stuttering had definitely been rarer lately, especially when it came to just normal things between them. So him stuttering the way he was now, was a bit concerning.

If he was staring, then why?

It didn't really matter, she guessed, it's not like it's a big deal. Well, actually it might be a big deal to him. She didn't care all that much, Deku was one to zone out in thought and not notice what he was doing until it was too late. Plus, if he wanted to stare at her, well he could do that. It's not like... she had a problem with it or anything.

But did he know that? Probably not, the most likely case being - he was currently feeling super embarrassed because he thinks she "caught him" or something. He didn't want her thinking any less of him - something along those lines at least.

She didn't want that. It was Deku for crying out loud. Her left elbow bumped his side ever so slightly, "This trip is gonna be a bunch of fun."

Suddenly, she turned and smiled as happily as she could. Because the truth is told, she was happy. This was going to be a fun experience, no matter the real reason they were there. She wouldn't have Deku overthinking everything and feeling upset - not at all.

It only took a few seconds for him to calm down, and soon enough he was smiling back just as brightly. "Yeah, you're right! I'm excited!"

"Hey! Deku, Uraraka, look at this!"

They both turned around to find Bakugo, who had made himself comfortable on the couch. He had also chosen to flip the TV on. And on the screen was their teacher, All Might. Press surrounding him from every angle, microphones held up to his mouth and Detective Tsukauchi on his side. She didn't know he was coming as well.

"All Might! Will you be speaking at the National Hero Ball?"

"Did you bring a date this time around?"

"How has your retired life treated you?"

Ochako walked around the couch, Deku in tow, "He's really getting pressed out there huh."

"Yeah." Deku agreed, taking a seat. She sat down next to him.

"I assure you all, I will be holding a press meeting tomorrow and all of these questions will be answered." All Might explained, the camera picking up the couple of bodyguards that helped clear out the swarm of the press, "I am glad to be back in America, but for now I am a bit jet-lagged so if you would please excuse me."

A huge swarm of press suddenly cluttered the camera's footage - and the video cut back to a reporter, "That was All Might on this year's National Hero Ball. We will all be looking forward to the press conference coming tomorrow. Coming up next we have congresses decision on-"

"It looks like All Might's handling the press well." She noted, tuning out the reporter for the time being. She caught Bakugo crossing his arms in front of his chest and humming a small agreement.

Deku also nodded on her left, "Based on what he told us, he should be on his way to the hotel right now."

All Might had explained to them on the plane how everything was going to work. They would take two different taxis, one going directly to the hotel (theirs) and one going to a different spot close by to meet the press (All Might). Thankfully it looked like he was able to get by the tons of reporters with relative ease.

"While we wait, why don't we pick rooms?" She suggested, standing up from the couch and making her way towards the long hallway that contained each of their bedrooms.

She could feel Deku get up beside her, while Bakugo stayed firmly in his seat, "I don't care which room I get as long as it's gotta bed."

"Pretty sure all the rooms have that Kacchan." Deku chuckled, looking back at the slightly annoying blonde, "You got it though, we'll pick for ya."

To be truthful, she was kinda taken back by how comfortable Deku was joking around with Bakugo like that. But, it was only further proof that they were closer - no longer sharing an oddly tension-ed and toxic friendship.

They made it a bit down the hallway, enough for her to no longer hear the small, annoying murmurs coming from Bakugo. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the door at the very end. "Why don't we check out that room first? It's at the end so it's probably the best one right?"

"Yeah probably," Deku shuffled next to her, "Though we should probably give the biggest one to All Might. It's only proper with him being our teacher and all."

She hummed a firm agreement, "Still, I'm curious!" Picking up her feet, she began to walk towards the door. Once she got there, her hand reached out and turned the knob. She could hear Deku right behind her, so she quickly swung open the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of the massive room. This really was an expensive hotel. Wide wrapping windows, from floor to ceiling, covered an entire wall. A large doorway was wide open to the sight of a massive suite bathroom. A Jacuzzi, shower, and bathtub all filling the same room, so pointless in their placements yet so, inexplicably rich that it almost made sense. And the bed, she had never seen one so huge. A large red duvet covered the soft-looking mattress that was shaped like a-

...

Oh.

...

Oh no.

This wasn't just any suite. This was a suite meant for a couple. This was a love suit.

A quick, insensible thought of her sharing this room with Deku was enough to send her entire face into a blushing mess. She could feel it, the incredible heat that was radiating off of her cheeks.

Stop thinking like that - What kind of friend thinks of doing stuff like that with their best friend?

A friend that is hopelessly in love with that best friend

Shut up brain! She was supposed to be repressing these feelings! Being as close as she was with him was more than enough, she didn't need anything more. Anything more might ruin things, anything more might stop them from reaching their goal.

It's not stopping Kaminari and Jiro...

Repressing the urge to grab her head and physically shake it, she chanced a small glance back to Deku. It was risky, her face was probably a huge tell to her thoughts. But he had been quiet so far, most likely a bad sign, although it may mean that he didn't correlate what she had.

She nearly chuckled, like Deku of all people wouldn't put those things together.

This was proven by his face. He too was, well, he was definitely blushing. His cheeks were a deep shade of red, but something that took her by surprise was the smirk on his lips. He was, chuckling to himself? There was that new Deku again, she needed to get used to that.

"Heh, I'm not sure All Might's gonna appreciate having to sleep on a heart bed."

Why had she been getting so worked up again?

Almost as if her previous mental breakdown hadn't just occurred, an involuntary giggle escaped her lips, "y-yeah." she stammered out.

Thank god for Deku. To be honest, ever since he has gained this almost smooth-like comfort around her, it has made not getting flustered much easier. Almost as he reassured her that it was ok, they were friends, and she didn't have to overthink anything. He may be flustered, but this obviously wasn't affecting him as much as it was her. It made it easier to brush her crazed feelings aside.

Or, maybe she was just finally accepting it...

As if on cue, he began laughing a little harder, "M-Maybe we should give this one to Kacchan!"

Shaking off her thoughts, a cackle escaped her lips, "Oh god no! He'd be so mad!"

The playful glimmer in his eyes shined brightly, and she watched as his smirk only grew. "Hey Kacchan!" he called, turning around and jogging back to the open living area.

"N-No! Deku stop he'll kill us!" She frantically whispered, trying her hardest to hold in the laughter that was fighting to escape her breath.

"Your rooms the one on the end!" He called right before she could stop him.

"Got it."

The laughter finally poured out, it probably didn't help that Deku had collapsed in his silenced laughter as well. She couldn't help but cover her mouth in an attempt to hold back the loud noise of glee. However, a loud "haha!" had escaped right before she could.

"What the hell are you two laughing about?" A loud, angry voice shouted from the living room. She could hardly hold herself back, but it kinda sounded like he was getting closer.

"N-Nothing Kacchan!" Deku scrambled, holding down his cackles for a short moment, "Just a joke!"

"What the-" the blonde turned the corner and eyed the open door at the end of the hall. For a short moment, he peered into it, seemingly spotting the heart-shaped mattress and matching duvet. His eyes glanced down to herself and Deku, who had collapsed onto the floor in their giggles. "...rrgrrrr..."

W-Was that a growl?

"BAKUGO STOP-"

"UWAA! KACCHAN! WE'RE SORRY! NOT IN THE HOTEL! STOP!"

Izuku realized that coming to America meant having to adapt to their culture. Having researched some of this particular topic, he knew that the food tended to be greasier, heartier, heavier than those he would usually eat in Japan. Knowing this, he had expected to only eat smaller portions of the food.

Oh how wrong he was

In his defense, he had never thought something as simple as pizza could taste so amazing. He had tasted pizza before, the ones in Japan being smaller and usually sold in vendors around the less suburban areas - but the pizza he was eating now was on another level.

"How's the food?"

Looking up to his mentor, Izuku beamed as he chewed the pillowy, yet crunchy bread in his mouth. All Might had come into the hotel room carrying three boxes of the delightful food with him not too long ago, and just when he had thought he couldn't love the man anymore.

"It's amazing!" Uraraka exclaimed, having swallowed before he could.

All Might simply gave a chuckle at that, "Yeah, the one thing I missed most about America was the food. Lunch Rush is great back at UA, but man nothing beats a slice of pizza." The man seamed to eye how many pieces had already been eaten, and laughed a bit wearily, "I'm glad I chose to get three, Bakugo and yourself Midoriya have eaten 10 slices combined. It's a good thing though, with the amount you all train you need to eat a lot to build up your energy."

Those words reminded him of something he was planning on asking, "Oh, All Might! I was wondering if there was a gym in this hotel so we can keep up with our training."

"I believe there is," he pondered for a moment before getting up and walking over to the small table by the door, he looked to be glancing at a manual of some sorts. "Yes, here it says the gym is on the first floor next to the pool area. It is open from five in the morning to six at night."

"Oh that's good, I'll be able to wake up for my normal morning workout."

Some of his classmates, notably Mina, looked at him like he was crazy for waking up at 4:30 in the morning to do a pre-school workout. But after training for One for All, he sort of got in the habit of working out really early. It helped keep his body in shape and he honestly enjoyed it, his mind was much clearer after his morning routine.

"I don't know if I'll be able to get up that early," Uraraka said to his left, "I'd be happy to join you later on though."

He chuckled, "It's alright Uraraka, I know I wake up way earlier than most - we can definitely get in a good training session after lunch though!" His hand raised to a fist, smiling brightly, she followed suit. He briefly wondered if Kacchan would join him in the morning, but then he remembered his obsessive nature with his sleep schedule on weekdays.

In fact, his blonde friend had already turned in for the night. Having scarfed down the pizza and stormed off ranting something about his schedule already being thrown off by the plane ride.

"Oh, All Might we forgot to tell you," Uraraka suddenly exclaimed, "There are only three bedrooms so Bakugo and Deku are gonna share, and your room is the one at the very end of the hall."

He had almost forgotten that, thank god for Uraraka. Well, now his mind was on whether or not Bakugo had already fallen asleep - and in hand with that, whether or not he'd have to sleep on the floor or not...

"Oh, did I forget to tell you three?" All Might's hand came to the back of his neck, "I have my own room here in the hotel."

"O-Oh!"

"Sorry! My room is across the hall, I specifically asked for a room with three bedrooms for you three, so you each have your privacy!"

Well, that made things much easier.

"Goodnight All Might."

The door closed, and that left himself and Uraraka alone in the room. It was, kind of quiet for a few seconds, before he turned around and saw her stretching her arms up. Her hands came to the bottom of her hair, and they raised on either side, pushing up the long tufts of brown locks in the process.

Why was that so attractive?

He nearly coughed out loud as the thought crossed his mind.

A sudden clap snapped him out of it, "Alright Deku, I think we should hit the hay. No use in staying up and doing nothing - we can just do that tomorrow!" An airy laugh followed her words, enticing him to follow her lead with a small chuckle.

"Y-Yeah," - stop stuttering - "I'm kinda glad I don't have to share a bed with Kacchan anymore. Was kinda dreading an accidental explosion in the middle of the night."

Her legs floated over to the hallway containing their rooms, "But now you get to sleep in the romantic sweet Deku! I'm jealous!"

If not for her teasing laugh, he would have probably gotten a little angry. Then again, his version of angry wasn't all that impressive. "You know, I don't seem to recall us discussing who would get that room."

"Oh really?" a playful smirk crept its way onto her face, "Well if it bothers you that much I can always just go repack my suitcase and move all my stuff over to the other r-"

"Ok ok, I get it!" He whined loudly, getting a chuckle from her, "I'll sleep on the heart bed."

Within a few seconds, her cheeky laughter was replaced with a warm smile. Her eyes closed as she beamed towards him, "Have a goodnight Deku. I'll see you in the morning."

The flutter of colorful wings sent shivers down his spine. A flapping sensation that didn't seem to go away whenever she was around. Those damn butterflies were flying around in his stomach again.

"Yeah, Goodnight Uraraka."

The small, beautiful insects never seemed to leave him alone when she was in his presence. Taking every ounce of her beauty as fuel for their never-ending migration. It felt like all the wonderful things about her were suddenly thrown in his face. All the amazing quirks that rested in her true self shined brighter than ever.

Once again, he is reminded of his feelings for her.

The soft, ruffled silk beneath his form felt so cold. He was surrounded by a warming blanket, but the shiver on his skin was real. He could feel the fabric hugging his body, but why did it not seem to make any difference?

Once again, he is reminded that he's alone.

But he wasn't - right?

He wasn't alone in this secret anymore. He had Kacchan, he had Uraraka, he didn't have to bear the burden by himself any longer

Not to mention in reality he had two of his best friends only a room away from him. His mentor, his idol, his teacher All Might was only across the hall. He had classmates, friends waiting for him back in Japan. His mother was waiting for him back in Japan.

But...who was he kidding?

None of that was the loneliness he felt. No, the cold, aching loneliness was caused by the one person that brought him so much warmth. The one person he could rely on as not only his best friend but a holder of his treasured secret.

The one person that he wanted to hold in his arms.

The heat rising to his face was enough to tell him to stop thinking like this. Stop imagining it, stop wishing for it, just stop.

Maybe it was the heart-shaped bed, maybe it was because it was meant to be shared with another person. Or maybe it was because he wanted more. He wanted to hold her, too, kiss her, to just, be with her.

But he couldn't stop.

Unless...

No

What would she even say? If he just, confessed like that. Would she reciprocate his feelings? Probably not. Even if he wanted to give himself leeway, and just pretend like she did feel that way about him -

"You two probably think a lot alike."

- Kacchan made too much sense sometimes. His words bounced around his brain, the premise of his own worries being hers as well echoing. She has goals, just like he did. Why should he stop her from reaching them? She wouldn't want to stop him.

But if she thought similarly to him, then wouldn't that mean that she too is...

His head shook violently, he couldn't think like that. He couldn't start thinking for her, that was a recipe for disaster. It was only about him. How he feels.

How did he feel?

He loved her. But did he want to tell her? Of course, he did, but how would that affect everything? Would it change their friendship? Would it change their goals? Would it hinder them from becoming heroes?

If she said yes, could they balance a relationship with their hero life? With his destiny?

If she said no... would their friendship be ruined? Could he handle that?

He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing his head to turn on its side. He needed sleep, and thinking about this wasn't going to help with that. It was only going to freak him out.

Only if there was someone he could ask with experience in this sorta thing - All Might hadn't ever been in a serious relationship so that wouldn't be much help.

A sigh escaped his lips as he let sleep overcome his troubles, he would worry about it tomorrow. Or, hopefully, these thoughts would finally give him a break after night's rest.

New York was... cold.

Perhaps it was the natural climate of the season. It did happen to be the back half of fall, back in Japan it would start getting a bit chilly around now. In America, it seemed to pick up the speed when it came to the winter forecast.

Of course, he could have dressed a bit warmer. His long-sleeve UA jacket equipped with a slightly larger collar was warm but not nearly enough to fight the chill of the wind hitting his face as he jogged. Only a few people were walking around him - a stark contrast to the busy nightlife he had remembered from their first night.

One thing he realized was this city truly did not sleep. Here he was, 4:50 in the morning, the night sky just starting to clip with light, and people were still up and moving around. It both baffled and amazed him that people could function on this never-ending schedule. The rotation of newcomers to the city might have been enough to keep the streets full at all hours. But it was impressive nonetheless.

His legs eventually came to a slow stop in front of their hotel - noting that the time was 4:58. The gym would be opening in a minute and he was excited to pump his muscles a bit. Their rigorous schedule at UA left him itching for some type of physical activity - that and he didn't want to fall out of his habits. He still needed to train, get stronger, become a greater hero for the future. He would keep to that.

As soon as he found his way to the gym, the worker let him inside with a welcoming smile. He would have entered the door immediately if it wasn't for the feeling of a presence behind him.

It felt... eerily familiar.

Head whipping around, his concerns were quelled when the comforting sight of brown hair filled his vision. He smiled, "Uraraka? What are you doing here?"

Her smile seemed to try and copy his own, "Hey Deku! You were going to work out right? I thought I'd join you!"

That didn't make much sense.

"I thought you said you were going to sleep in?

For a split second, her eyes widened, as if she were fidgeting under his questioning gaze. He could see her hands wringing themselves behind her back. What was going on?

"Well, you see I thought I'd just keep you company! To be honest I am a bit tired but I-I, uh, c-couldn't sleep well and I thought I'd check out the hotel a bit and stumbled upon you!"

Well, that explained her weird behavior. She was tired, Uraraka was never a morning person anyway. Though he was finding it increasingly difficult to understand why she suddenly decided to get out of bed and tour the hotel. That still didn't make any sense to him.

This weird feeling became even more prevalent as he worked out. She stayed true to her word, sitting off to the side and occasionally throwing him some small words of encouragement as he lifted the dumbells over his head. Or at the moment, spotting him while he bench pressed a bit of weight.

Nothing crazy, 120lbs to start off. He didn't want to strain himself.

But he couldn't get Uraraka's behavior out of his mind. He couldn't understand it. His arms moved up and down, hands gripping the metal bar tightly, his eyes focused on her hands which hovered alongside the hovering pipe. They looked, different. Not different, but, he didn't know. Maybe it was the way she moved them? Was that crazy to think like that? Was he crazy for noticing?

In his mental game of questioning, he didn't happen to realize that the sweat building between his hands and the bar had become substantial enough to loosen his grip. It took only another second for the bar to slip out of his right hand.

Before he had even noticed he watched Uraraka's hands grab it. It took her a moment, her arms struggled a bit in the position lifting the weight. He could hear her heaving as she pulled it back up to rest on the rack above his head.

"Oh my gosh! Deku are you okay?" She ran around to his side, placing her hand on his shoulder as he sat up.

Why hadn't she just used her quirk?

"Y-Yeah! I'm fine, no need to worry! Thank you for catching it!"

He froze as he felt her hand touch the back of his neck. It felt, tingly. Like the first time they met each other when she had touched him and he felt like fainting from the contact alone. But this time it was much different. This tingly feeling wasn't from embarrassment or affection... it was from something entirely different. It felt foreign, nothing crazy, but foreign nonetheless.

It was almost as if she could sense his uneasiness because after a few seconds - her hand slipped off of his neck and moved behind her back.

"Deku! If you are okay I think I'm going to go back up to sleep, I'm feeling tired again haha."

"...O-Of course! Yeah, I'm fine! I'll talk to you later Uraraka."

She turned to leave, but right before she opened the door he called to her. "Uraraka wait!"

Her hands froze on the handle before she turned around wearing a bright smile, "What is it Deku?"

"Why... Why didn't you just use your quirk to lift the bar?"

A second. Only a second, where he could see her freeze. But then, she bounced right back and put a small, quirky smile on her lips, "Ah! You're right! I don't know why I think I was so tired I totally forgot about my quirk!"

"Oh," that made enough sense, "Y-Yeah! Sorry, I'll let you go off now, see you later."

The rest of his workout was filled with apprehension - he just couldn't place its source.

UA high-school had never quite seen anything like this before. Or at least - one Todoroki Shoto seriously doubted it. It was a few moments away from complete and utter chaos. Their dormitory was essentially on fire and even his ice couldn't seem to tarnish the flames.

Lets recap.

They had woken up the previous day to the surprise information that Midoriya and Uraraka had left for the ball early. Not only that, but Bakugo was also gone in relation to his hospitalized mother.

Most of the girls were rather upset at that info. He guessed it was because they wanted to see them off - he wasn't quite sure. Shoto didn't understand the insanity behind his two good friends' apparent date. Yes, the hero ball is an astonishing event. One he has attended himself once before - being the son of the number two hero has its "perks".

But he couldn't understand the shock at their friend's sudden dating announcement. In all honesty, it made quite a bit of sense to Shoto. They were already close, best friends most would say, and one had to be rather dense to see there weren't any feelings between the two. It was only a matter of time before one of them acted on it.

A sudden shriek caused him to turn around in his chair. The sight of his classmates all covering their mouths and curling in on themselves let him know what had happened. Another random truth was spurted.

He sighed, at least Midoriya and Uraraka weren't around for this.

When they had been greeted by a man who looked to be in his late fifties, dressed in an old leather trench coat and mysteriously blue curls hanging out of his trilby hat - Shoto remembered being a bit cautious to the whole thing. It seemed off, he didn't like the feeling of what was coming next.

But when the windows folded down metal barriers, and the doors to the staircase and elevators were locked tight - those feelings had skyrocketed.

Apparently, for reasons unknown, they wanted everyone to stay in the common area for a week. He didn't even know what that man's purpose was - all he remembers is the man smiling and walking out of the room - and that was the last they heard from anyone.

And now, it was like a truth serum had been injected into each and every one of his classmates. Including himself.

"What was it this time?" He asked, walking over to the couch as his curiosity got the better of him."

"JIROU CALLED KAMINARI HOT!" Hagakure shouted before her clothes jumped back a bit and she whispered out an apologetic, "S-Sorry."

Shoto smirked, "Makes sense, their already dating."

The room froze

Wait- did he just say that?!

His smirk fell instantly and he could see everyone's eyes widen to an almost cartoonish size. His own mouth fell before he redirected his gaze to the ground. He didn't mean to say that - not at all.

Whatever spell the class was under had effected their willpower and freedom to speak - because he did not want to say anything else. But his mouth moved anyway, saying the one thing on his mind, "I sense I have made a critical error with my words."

The silence following was damn near painful.

...This was going to be an entertaining week.